Love Sees No Difference
by natemccizz98
Summary: Companion story to "The Hero's Hero." When Ganon breaks out of the Sacred Realm and threatens Hyrule, Hylians and Gerudo have to form an unprecedented alliance. For fifteen-year-old Taryn and seventeen-year-old Evei, new bonds of comradeship may change into a different, stronger type of bond.
1. Chapter 1

**Before we get going on this story, I must take care of a few things in this author's note. First of all, this is a companion story to my previous** ** _Zelda_** **fan fiction, "The Hero's Hero." If you have not read that one yet, I suggest you read that before this. Secondly, I must, of course, give credit where it is due: The** ** _Legend of Zelda_** **video games are the brainchild of Shigeru Miyamoto and Eiji Aonuma, and are property of Nintendo. The only aspects of this story that do not belong to the above are a few original characters; true fans of the games should be able to figure out which ones are original. Now, without further ado, I do hope you enjoy this story!**

* * *

It was not common, by any stretch of the imagination, for people to idly traverse the vast plain of Hyrule Field. Surely, it was frequented by merchants, farmers, and ranchers transporting their goods in Castle Town or Kakariko. But few travelled outside the towns where they lived for pure leisure.

Which was why the young mounted Hylian with a laden pack made such an odd sight on this day as he and his horse exited the Kakariko Valley and came out upon that great expanse of grass. There were a few other folk about, a few merchants pulling handcarts or driving small wagons, but none were travelling so lightly as he.

A quick glance at him would have revealed a mop of dark brown hair atop his head, almond-shaped hazel eyes, and a childlike countenance that took in his surroundings. His garb was rather ordinary for a working-class Hylian: a plain white woolen shirt, a red vest of the same material, tan corduroy trousers, and a pair of soft leather riding boots. Aside from that was his pack, slung over his back with a single strap, and a sheathed dirk strapped to his right hip.

His name was Taryn, and he'd recently turned fifteen years of age. It was personal business which brought him out of his hometown of Kakariko. His older brother, a Hylian Knight, had been recently called up and stationed at Lon-Lon Ranch. There had been a general mustering of Hylian forces amidst rumors that Ganon, the King of Evil, had broken out of his bonds in the Sacred Realm, a mere two years after the recently-crowned Queen Zelda and the Sages had sealed him there.

Taryn had only just reached military age, but he remembered the dark days before the Hero of Time defeated Ganon. He'd been forced to use his dirk a few times back then, mostly against solitary marauding Bulblins in the Valley. He was glad his brother would be at the forefront of the fighting if Ganon truly had now returned. Hence his errand on this day: his pack contained small gifts to his elder brother, mostly of food, but a few other comforts to keep the nineteen-year-old knight from getting too homesick.

In order to reach Lon-Lon Ranch, Taryn would have to stray from the lone path on Hyrule Field, which ran between Kakariko and Castle Town. So, without too much hesitation, he turned his horse from the trail and set out across the open grass of the plain. He could see the imposing, fortified ranch some way before him, on a large hill near the center of the plain. The sun was barely a quarter of the distance to its zenith; he would have a lot of daylight. Still, he wanted to get to the ranch quickly so he would have time for small talk with his brother and some of his other friends. Anticipating how happy his brother would be to see the gifts he'd brought, he spurred his horse on to a light canter.

…

He arrived at the ranch only two and a half hours later to find the gate open and Hylian soldiers patrolling the wooden palisade which ringed the ranch compound. After stating his business to the two sentries at either side of the gate, he was allowed to pass through.

Taryn had been to Lon-Lon ranch before, but he always marveled at how open the place was. Kakariko was spacious enough, but being set at the end of a narrow valley and built into the side of a plateau left the town feeling enclosed and packed (at least, he thought so). In truth, the ranch, walled in as it was, was no less enclosed, but one could see more of the sky here.

Taryn wasted a few seconds relaxing in the saddle from the feeling of openness, but quickly recovered and walked his horse over to a Hylian soldier near a barrack. Taryn recognized the soldier; he was another Kakariko native and had been one of his brother's childhood friends. "Good morning, Taryn!" the soldier called out in greeting. "What brings you here?"

"Oh, not much," Taryn replied. "Just wanted to give some things to Eryc." He was, of course, referring to his older brother.

The soldier in front of him shrugged at the mention of Eryc as he informed Taryn, "He's out with some of the other Knights. The Hero of Time himself is taking them out to the field to train."

Immediately, Taryn got slightly envious of his older brother. Eryc got to be in close proximity to Link, the Hero of Time, while he had to help his father run the bakery in Kakariko.

But he didn't show his feelings on that matter, choosing instead to smile and say, "Well, good for him. Can you give this to him when he gets back? Tell him his family sent it."

"Will do," replied the soldier. Taryn took the pack off his back and handed it to the other, before turning his horse and walking him towards the main gate.

Before he got there, however, a small group of mailed horsemen rode in hard. Taryn recognized Eryc among them, but he and the rest of the small group appeared weary and in shock. Immediately, Taryn dismounted and made for his brother. Eryc, upon seeing him, dismounted and ran up to him. The two brothers embraced each other tightly before Eryc asked Taryn, worriedly, "Taryn, what are you doing here? It's dangerous to be going around Hyrule Field."

Taryn took in his brother's worry and began to get nervous. "Dad sent me to bring you some stuff," he replied. "What happened?"

Eryc's expression went from worry to complete alarm. "We were ambushed by Gerudo raiders," he explained breathlessly. "They killed Dannyl and Lucas. And they captured the Hero!"

There was nothing good about that story, as far as Taryn was concerned. Dannyl and Lucas were neighbors and friends to the two brothers, so their deaths hit Taryn hard. But most alarming was Eryc's last observation that the Gerudo had captured the Hero of Time.

Before Taryn could express his shock, a crowd had gathered around the battered and dispirited Knights. From among them stepped a tall, tanned, athletic lady in iron plate armor with snow-colored hair and hard red eyes. Taryn and Eryc immediately recognized her as Impa, commander of Hylian forces and the last survivor of the near-legendary Sheikah people. The imposing lady made her way over to Eryc and asked, "What is the situation?"

Still as breathless as before, Eryc huffed out, "We got attacked by Gerudo. We lost some good people out there, and the Gerudo captured Link."

Impa visibly stiffened at that. For a time, she didn't respond. Then Eryc, finally finding his breath, said to her, "I can run the message to the Castle if you need."

But the commander was already shaking her head. "We need all hands manning the defenses here. Are there any civilians who could do it?"

Eryc hesitated before replying, "Well, there's my brother here. But he's only fifteen."

Immediately, Taryn felt Impa's gaze lock onto him. "Can you run a message to Hyrule Castle?" she asked levelly.

Suddenly nervous, Taryn nodded. "I – I think so," he answered.

Without showing any emotion, the stern-looking Sheikah nodded. "Good," she said. "I'll have a report written up within a quarter-hour. Make sure to take my personal standard with you so the soldiers at the Castle know I sent you."

Taryn nodded again, following it up with the best salute he could muster. Immediately, Impa retreated to a small wooden building that appeared to be the ranch's command center. Taryn, meanwhile, sat on the grass nearby and waited.

…

It is a foolish person indeed who assumes that the Gerudo Valley is any easier a place to live than the identically-named desert at its end. Nothing inhabits that region, save for hard, dry rocks, dust, sand, and the occasional hardy predator. It takes a hardy folk to make a living in such scarcity.

The Gerudo were exactly that. Skilled in the arts of war and survival alike, they were able to make the most out of their arid surroundings and scrape out an existence, if not exactly a comfortable one.

Seventeen-year-old Evei was no exception to her sisters. Her hard upbringing had been kind to her, and she already was one of her people's finest archers, as well as one of their cleverest riders. Like many of her compatriots, she was no stranger to violence and raiding. In fact, she enjoyed a good brawl every so often.

At this moment, she was sitting in her suite of rooms within her people's great fortress; all Gerudo received a suite of their own once they came of age at fifteen years. She was in the process of honing her long, brass-hilted scimitar when one of her sisters rushed in, looking quite excited indeed.

As Evei looked up in silent inquiry, her comrade breathlessly got out, "The assembly horn is blowing. One of the scouting parties brought in something they want to show everyone." The warrior then ran off. Evei followed at a leisurely walk.

She came eventually to the throne room of the great fortress. It was a substantial space, but it was not very elaborately decorated. Sitting on the sandstone throne was the Gerudo people's recently-returned king, Ganondorf, a seven-foot titan of a man whose skin bore an olive tinge, in contrast to most of his people's copper complexions. As more of Evei's fellows filed in, the throne room began to come alive as if set alight from all the red-headed Gerudo present.

After a time, all of the fortress' residents had gathered, and Ganondorf waved his hand. A small patrol of Gerudo warriors walked in, with a strange, green-clad individual restrained amongst them. This figure was presented to the King, and all the Gerudo in the room got a good look at him.

Evei had seen this Hylian before. Even after two years, she recognized the green tunic and hat, white leggings, unruly blond hair and alert sapphire-colored eyes that characterized the captive.

"My Lord Ganondorf," began one member of the patrol, "We ambushed a squadron of Hylian Knights on training exercises. Among them, we killed four and captured this one. I present to you, Link, the Hylians' so-called Hero of Time."


	2. Chapter 2

It was just about noon by the time Taryn, now bearing a letter and Impa's banner, crossed the wooden drawbridge into Castle Town. He turned a number of heads as he galloped through the cobblestone avenues and towards the actual Castle. As he arrived at the castle gate, he pulled his horse short of the armed guard who stood before him, expecting to be halted and questioned briefly.

But the guard, recognizing the banner Taryn carried, stepped aside and waved him through, before he could even come to a complete stop. Taryn knew his horse wouldn't appreciate the sudden stop and start, but it was only once, and the message he bore needed to be delivered to…well, whoever was in charge of the forces at the Castle. So he goaded his horse through the gate.

He was met after a short distance by other guards. Unlike the first, these directly asked what his errand was. Quickly, Taryn pulled out the report he carried and replied to them, "I must deliver this to whoever commands the forces here."

From off to one side, a calm, feminine voice called out, "That would be me." Taryn – and all the guards – turned towards the voice. It belonged to a young blonde lady in her late adolescence, garbed in a white and pink gown with a gold circlet on her brow.

At once, the guards dropped to their knees in respect as this lady approached them. Taryn found himself frozen in his saddle, eyes wide. For it would take a fool not to recognize the young lady as none other than Queen Zelda herself. The young queen half-walked, half-glided to the horse on which Taryn sat and eyed its rider briefly. "I assume Impa has sent you with urgent news, young man," she said levelly.

A bit awe-struck, Taryn slowly and wordlessly nodded, before holding the letter to her. Gracefully, she took and read it before them all. As she read, her large, blue eyes narrowed, and she appeared troubled.

At length, she turned back to Taryn. "You must go back to the ranch and tell Impa to come here with whichever of the other Sages are there."

Taryn nodded, his expression still one of awe. Somehow, he managed to tear his eyes and mind away from the queen and turn his horse around, bound once again for Lon-Lon Ranch.

…

The scout's announcement caused a wave of whispered comment among the Gerudo gathered in the throne room. Ganondorf seemed particularly happy with this turn of events, and Evei was sure she knew why. She looked back at Link, who was glaring furiously at the king he had fought and defeated not long before. While he had aged two years, Link still appeared essentially the same as he had when she had last seen him in the fortress; Evei decided those two years had made him even better-looking than she had previously thought him, if such a thing were even possible.

 _It's a shame he's already married_ , Evei thought to herself.

The silence in the room lasted for some time before Ganondorf spoke: "He holds something that I am in need of. He is to be taken to the Temple of Spirit. There, I _will_ draw it out of him."

His second-in-command, a veteran warrior named Azeru, knelt before him, the butt of the glaive she always carried planted straight into the floor. "It shall be done, my Lord Ganondorf," she answered in a monotone. Then she rose and joined the scouts in forcing the Hero of Time back through the door of the throne room.

After that, the throne room began to empty out as those gathered there left for their own suites, Evei among them. As she walked through the maze of corridors, she thought about what she had just seen. If the Hero of Time, bearer of the Triforce of Courage (that was no secret to any of the Gerudo), could be captured so easily, then what of other Hylian officials with less marshal prowess? What of Queen Zelda, who held the Triforce of Wisdom?

Though she did have some sympathy for the Hylians, a major part of her mind hoped that Ganondorf would be able to claim victory over the people of the plains. When he'd returned from being sealed in the Sacred Realm (as he had told them), he'd promised them a better life, one where they could live in the fertile plains alongside their pointy-eared counterparts as equals. Naturally, Evei was inclined to desire such a fate for herself and her comrades.

As she made her way through the fortress, she began to daydream about the possibility of living in the fertile country to the east. A farm would be nice, she decided, perhaps near the walls of Castle Town, a place she had heard about, yet never seen. Maybe she could even find her way into the heart of some young Hylian, instead of having to kidnap one, as her people had been driven by necessity to do for centuries.

Yes, life in the Kingdom would be pleasant, she decided as she finally entered her suite. Far more pleasant than living in the barren valley.

…

It wasn't until sunset that Taryn returned to his home in Kakariko, his pack empty, and his horse exhausted. Truly, he thought, never could a day be so tiring, nor so dreadful, as this day had been.

After returning to Lon-Lon Ranch sometime in the afternoon, he had relayed the queen's message to Impa, who had thanked him before dismissing him to return home. As he finally was able to give the contents of his pack to Eryc, he took the opportunity to do so, amidst rather subdued conversation. Not long before he left for home, he saw Impa leave the ranch on horseback, accompanied by a Goron and – oddly enough – a Gerudo; these, he guessed, were some of the seven legendary Sages who had aided the Hero of Time before.

Now, as he walked his horse into the stable next to his home, the specter of the Hero of Time's capture loomed large once again in his mind. If the Hero of Time could be captured, then what hope did Hyrule have?

Taryn still remembered how life was during Ganon's rule. There were constant raids by foul creatures, and once, Kakariko had to be evacuated due to the release of an ancient, dark spirit.

Frankly, he did not want to live through another period like that.

Finally, he got his horse into its stall, and proceeded to enter his house. His father instantly noticed the drawn, tired look he bore. Concerned, he asked, "Is something bothering you, Taryn?"

The young Hylian neither nodded nor shook his head. But he did reply, "The Hero of Time's been captured. Eryc watched it happen and he told me about it."

Taryn had known this was bad news. The sight of his parents stiffening at it only served to confirm that fact.


	3. Chapter 3

Ganondorf was not in a very good mood. Evei could tell from the frustrated look on his face as he sat on his simple throne. It had been fully three weeks since the day of the Hero of Time's capture. The king had been constantly travelling back and forth between the fortress and the Temple of Spirit in that time, and each time he returned, he'd appeared more tired than before – or, at least, that was what Azeru had told her once.

Now Evei, Azeru, and a few other Gerudo were standing on either side of the throne as their king sat brooding. To Evei, he appeared to be deep in thought. And no one seemed willing to break the current silence.

Well, _almost_ no one.

Finally breaking under the seeming pressure of the silence, Azeru – somewhat timidly – asked the king, "Does something bother you, my lord?"

Evei jumped at the sudden speech, and braced herself to hear Ganondorf reprimand her comrade. But when the redheaded king did speak, his voice was level, if a bit frustrated. "My attempt to confiscate that meddler's piece of the Triforce had failed," he said. "When I willed it to join the Triforce of Power, it left his hand, but I have not seen it since. Not on my hand, not in the Temple, nowhere!"

That bit of information struck a chord with all of the other Gerudo. Evei had never heard of a piece of the Triforce simply going missing. But then, she didn't know much about how it worked.

Falling to one knee, Azeru spoke again: "Patience, my lord Ganondorf. The Triforce of Courage will turn up. Perhaps it will be dropped into our laps willingly. Once you have it, Queen Zelda should be easy enough to capture and the Triforce of Wisdom will be won."

Evei was certain now that Azeru was going to be disciplined for speaking out of turn. And especially for telling the king to be patient. But once again, she was surprised when he stayed calm. "Very well," he replied, with a certain amount of finality. "With any luck, the Triforce of Courage has not wandered far. In the meantime, our so-called Hero of Time should be transferred here from the Temple of Spirit." Then he said directly to Azeru, "Organize a party tomorrow morning to collect him from there and bring him here."

Upon hearing that, Azeru gave what Evei would have considered a rather naughty smile. "Of course," she answered with a far-too-pleased laugh. "Once he is here, the Hero of Time will add more warriors to our ranks, as one day all men in Hyrule will."

Evei's eyes widened at that. Somehow, she couldn't envision the Hero of Time allowing such a thing to happen, even as a captive. Still, there were ways to get around that; some of the more recent mothers in the Fortress had told Evei as much.

Then Ganondorf stiffened on his throne, as if receiving a sudden revelation. "The Triforce," he said, with sudden focus. "It is resonating. A bearer of it must be near."

With that, Azeru immediately sprang into action, giving out orders to her comrades: "Asya, sound the alarm. Nysa, protect the king. Evei, Kiru, follow me!"

All the Gerudo in the room jumped to fulfill their orders at once. Evei found herself, scimitar in hand, following just behind Azeru through the corridors of the fortress, searching for whoever had intruded upon her people's stronghold. Within a few minutes, the alarm horn rang out through the fortress and the valley.

That caused the whole fortress to mobilize. Gerudo spilled out of their suites, armed and ready to seek out whatever or whoever was threatening their home.

Not too long after, Azeru brought the three of them to a stop, panting. "We should split up," she said. "The intruders will be easier to find that way." So the three of them went separate ways, Azeru taking the first hallway to the left, Kiru dashing into a corridor to the right, and Evei pressing on ahead.

So it was that she found herself running alone through the labyrinth of hallways she knew so well. A few times, she nearly collided with her comrades, but found no one who wasn't a Gerudo.

That is, until she collided full-on with a body coming around a corner. Evei quickly recovered to see perhaps the strangest person she'd ever seen standing before her. It was a young man wearing a dark blue bodysuit with a Sheikah symbol emblazoned on it; yet this was no Sheikah, for he showed the blond hair, pale complexion, and blue eyes of a Hylian, but the round ears of a Gerudo. He had a broadsword strapped to his back, and there was a fierce glow on his right hand.

At that moment, Evei realized she was looking at the new bearer of the Triforce of Courage.

Unfortunately, the young man did not allow her enough time to apprehend him. Before she could react, he pulled out his sword, leaped at her, and hammered the pommel of the weapon into her temple. The last thing Evei saw were bright flashes behind her eyes.

…

It had been three weeks since Taryn had last seen his elder brother, on the day the Hero of Time had been captured. No monsters had appeared in that time, which he wasn't going to complain about. But surely it could only be a matter of time before Kakariko would see the results of a takeover by Ganon. That was what Taryn thought as he helped his father around the shop he ran.

Business wasn't as brisk as usual today. Taryn was sure that most of the townspeople would be busy looking for ways to defend their homes from the marauding creatures that were certain to appear soon.

Taryn was just finishing up with helping one of these customers when the shop door opened. His mind elsewhere, Taryn called over his shoulder, "Good morning. How can I help you?"

He was answered with a familiar voice saying, "I can wait for you to finish up with this man, Taryn."

Surprise written on his face, Taryn spun around to face Eryc, standing there at the counter, mailed and wearing his surcoat and sword belt. He hesitated briefly, before the customer told him, "Go on, I think I've found what I was looking for."

And with that, there was nothing stopping Taryn from dashing over to his brother and enveloping him in the biggest embrace he could give.

Eryc grinned as he returned the bear hug. "It's good to see you again, Taryn," he said. "I have some great news today."

Taryn looked up into his brother's face. Despite the desperate times the kingdom had fallen upon, Eryc clearly had something to rejoice about; a curious fact indeed. Taryn had to know. "What happened?" he asked.

Eryc beamed as he told his younger brother, "Queen Zelda went someplace for a while. She came back with a young hero from another country who she says can rescue the Hero of Time. They just left the Ranch to break Link out."

The news brightened Taryn up considerably. "Wait until father hears this," he replied.


	4. Chapter 4

Taryn ran throughout the town of Kakariko, frantically and joyfully knocking on doors to spread the news of the Hero of Time's imminent rescue. There was no one in the town who didn't brighten up considerably at that news. As the word spread, the headman called a meeting of the town council, which included Taryn and Eryc's father. So it was that Taryn found himself sitting outside the open window of the council hall, listening in on the meeting.

Being the bearer of the happy news, Eryc had been invited to the gathering, and it was he who called it to order. "Friends," he began, "You all may be aware that three weeks ago, Link, the Hero of Time, was captured by a Gerudo raiding party while on a training foray with myself and some other knights. Well, I'm pleased to say that we may very well see him returned to us within a couple of days."

Upon hearing that, Ricgard, the head of the town militia, spoke up: "How can we be so certain of the Hero of Time's return in such a short time? Has Queen Zelda or one of her commanders found a way to breach the Gerudo fortress?"

The question was not surprising, and Eryc had a reply ready instantly. "No," he answered, "but she has brought in a foreigner who she says has come up with a plan."

"A foreigner?" inquired Stennel, the town blacksmith. "Where from?"

Taryn leaned in closer, his head halfway through the window, to hear his brother better.

But Eryc merely said, "I have no idea. He's no Hylian, that's for sure. Perhaps he is from another world entirely; Zelda brought him in along with all of the Sages. I saw them with my own eyes."

A murmur of interest ran throughout the council hall. Everything that involved all seven of the Sages had to be important. Whoever this newcomer was must have had great ability.

Now more confident, Ricgard's voice was once again heard. "Shall I muster the militia?" he asked.

Eryc shrugged. "I guess every armed Hylian we can get will help," he replied.

"Then so be it," ruled Yrien, the headman. "Sir Eryc, you shall lead the militia to Lon-Lon Ranch to report for duty.

Eryc gave the headman a crisp salute as the council meeting was adjourned. The rest of the day went by rather quickly for Taryn. Not much work was done by neither him nor his father, as most of the townspeople turned out of their homes to watch the militia march out of town and down the valley to the west.

There wasn't much ceremony to their exit. About fifty militiamen steadily trickled onto the town green, all mailed and helmed and carrying spears that were about as long as each of them were tall. After they had all met, they formed into two ranks of twenty-five each while Ricgard inspected their gear, ensuring they were ready for a potential battle.

Fortunately, not one of them was deemed unprepared to report. Thus, Taryn and all of his neighbors watched as Eryc and Ricgard led the mailed spearmen in twin columns off the green and into the sloping valley.

Taryn was silent as the procession passed him. He had never known war – not even the dark days of Ganon's rule could count as war – in his life, but he had a sneaking suspicion that it was anything but glorious. Then again, no one had ever implied that it was; Hyrule had been torn by so many wars and other assorted afflictions that most of the adults in Taryn's life were jaded by the thought of conflict and combat. There were even some in Kakariko who had fought in the bloody Hyrulean Civil War a mere eighteen years before, who would sometimes regale the town's children with frightening, painful stories of combats they'd witnessed.

These tales and what little combat experience he had told Taryn that all those in the marching columns were headed into grave danger. He wondered how many he would count returning, if return they did.

…

Evei's eyes fluttered open, affording her a view of a sandstone ceiling. The side of her head was throbbing angrily with each heartbeat. It took effort for her to lean up on her elbows and look around. The last she'd known, she had been running around the corridors of the fortress. Now, she found herself in her suite, on her own bed. Nothing appeared out of place; her bow and case of arrows were leaning against the wall nearest her bed, her scimitar lay sheathed at her bedside within easy reach, and friend Asya sat on a chair nearby, watching her intently.

"It's about time you woke up," Asya told her casually.

"How long have I been out?" Evei inquired.

Asya shrugged. "Most of the day before yesterday," she answered, "then all of yesterday and most of this morning."

That made Evei's eyes widen. That strange young man must have clocked her pretty hard in the head for her to have been unconscious for two days. "Did anyone catch the guy who knocked me out?" she asked.

Now it was Asya's turn to be surprised. "You found the intruder?"

"More like ran into him," Evei responded. "But he pommeled me pretty hard with a sword. I just thought someone would have caught and captured him after that."

But Asya shook her head. "Whoever it was evaded everyone," she said. "Except for you. What'd he look like?"

"Imagine the Hero of Time, but taller and with round ears," she explained. "And wearing a dark blue outfit. Oh, and he had part of the Triforce. His right hand was glowing."

"His _right_ hand?" Asya asked, curious, to which Evei nodded. "Then I don't suppose it _was_ the Hero of Time. That and the round ears. But I remember when he visited us. I saw his Triforce piece on his _left_ hand."

Evei nodded again, this time processing what Asya was telling her. "I never noticed that," she said at length. "But you're right. It definitely wasn't the Hero of Time. But that means the Triforce of Courage has found a new bearer. We need to tell Azeru about this."

Before either of them could get up, though, a loud horn call rang out through the valley. The alarm horn again, Evei realized. Hastily, the two Gerudo got to their feet. Asya grabbed her glaive, which she'd kept leaning on the chair. Evei strapped on her scimitar and grabbed her bow and her arrows. Then the two raced out the door and into the maze of hallways.

It took a few minutes to get outdoors, to the roof of the level below, which doubled as a fighting platform. But when the pair joined their comrades, they were greeted by an unnerving sight. In the courtyard, a regiment of armed Moblins stood at attention, their grotesque faces impassive, their crude-looking weaponry held aloft. In the desert, beyond the fortress gate, stood legions of other monstrous creatures. Evei's eyes went wide in wonder. But with that came some unease.

Because there was only one thing that could cause these monsters to suddenly appear.

The removal of the Master Sword from its pedestal.


	5. Chapter 5

There was a tense silence as the Gerudo gathered about the fortress stared out at the hordes of monsters that faced them. They all knew that these creatures would answer to their king; why he would take such monstrosities under his command none of them knew, but they needed all the help they could get in any upcoming war with Hyrule. In that staring match, one could hear the wind hissing into the valley from the desert beyond.

The silence was only broken by the rattling of armor as Ganondorf strode out into the courtyard. He paused for several moments as he surveyed the strange sight. What he might be thinking, none of the Gerudo could guess.

The silence lingered for a few minutes before the gate horn sounded sweetly through the courtyard and the large portcullis that divided the fortress from the desert began to open. The ranks and files of insidious creatures that stood beyond parted to allow a lone Gerudo to literally drag herself into the courtyard.

In a moment, both Evei and Asya had dropped to the ground level of the fortress ten feet below their original position and were running towards their comrade, with Azeru and Nysa behind.

When the four of them reached the single warrior, they found her to be bleeding heavily from a deep slice behind her left knee. The cut – a sword cut, Evei realized – had sliced through the warrior's hamstring, rendering her entire leg useless, probably for life.

Evei, Asya, Azeru, and Nysa were all visibly shocked by their comrade's condition. "What happened?" Azeru asked.

The warrior was clearly exhausted, but still she had strength enough to recount to them what fate had befallen her. "We were just past the bridge when we were ambushed by Hylians," she told them. "Most of us were killed by their crossbows. Impa and the traitor Nabooru were among them, and they killed two of my companions in close combat."

"And you?" Evei asked. "Who was it that wounded you?"

"I'm not sure," answered the injured warrior. "I'd have mistaken him for the Hero of Time himself if it weren't for his round ears."

Evei and Asya both started upon hearing that. The person who had injured this warrior sounded eerily similar to the one who had knocked Evei out two days before.

Just as surprising was the presence of Impa and Nabooru, two of Hyrule's Sages. Their presence in the desert could only mean one thing.

Azeru and Nysa hoisted their injured comrade onto their shoulders and carried her over to where Ganondorf was waiting expectantly. As they stepped up to their seven-foot-tall king, Asya reported, "This one was part of the transfer party yesterday. She says she was ambushed by Hylian troops, among whom were two of the Sages and a foreigner. She was the only one to survive."

Ganondorf's expression slowly darkened as he listened to the report. After some more silence, he slowly puzzled out the circumstances: "They must have been attempting to rescue their precious Hero of Time. And now these armies have appeared. That would be the Master Sword having been taken up, which means…" He trailed off with that, before his expression turned from one of contemplation to a genuine scowl. He finally ended his sentence with a growl, "They succeeded."

Evei was taken aback by the sudden change in his voice and expression, and watched with growing nervousness as her king's rage visibly built up and his expression darkened still further. His growl became a snarl, and then a mighty roar of fury as his rage burst forth. With two blows, he knocked all four of the Gerudo facing him away, then turned to the injured one. Evei gasped in horror as the man she had called her king for months swept out his heavy two-handed scimitar and beheaded his wounded subject.

Dead silence fell over the entire fortress as all the Gerudo stared on in complete terror. It lasted only five seconds before Ganondorf began to rail at them, "You have failed me! _All_ of you! The Hero of Time has been snatched from us! This was _your_ failure!" Everyone looking on looked quite frightened. Never before had their king flown into such a violent rage.

It got worse, though, as the king continued, "And to think I called you my people! None of you are worthy of such a thing!"

And with that, silence fell once again. The monsters in the courtyard and beyond the gates remained expressionless. But every Gerudo face looking on was a mask of shock and absolute fear. There was nobody there who didn't wonder, with great foreboding, what was about to transpire.

They all got their answer when Ganondorf turned to the legions of foul creatures still standing at attention. "Forces!" he barked out, pointing at the fortress and its residents with his blade, "Eliminate these people!"

As one, the grotesque hordes sprang into action, charging into the fortress. The few guards at the great gate were swept away as the fortress was assailed. Evei found herself bringing up the rear of those fleeing into the tunnels and hallways of her home, slowly backing down alongside Azeru and Asya. The three of them slowly retreated, shoulder to shoulder, as a squadron of Moblins rushed straight at them. In an instant, Evei's scimitar was out of its scabbard and flashed in the sunlight as it cut down one of the monsters, then another. Beside her, Azeru was spinning her glaive with lethal effect, and Asya was trading blows with one of the Moblins while holding a polished silver shield before her. That first group of Moblins went down relatively quickly, and the three Gerudo rushed into the fortress behind their comrades passing a few of those who had already fallen to their attackers' weapons.

The next several minutes were a blur to Evei. She didn't spend much time thinking, only acting as she raced to her suite and gathered up a few items that would be needed in order to survive out in the wider world. At times she would encounter fearsome creatures, but these were dealt with quickly. All throughout the corridors, however, was evidence that many of her comrades and neighbors had not been so fortunate.

Those few necessities gathered, she rushed through the halls she knew so well, through the tunnels and into the stables. There, she found, many of her compatriots had gathered and made a stand, their numbers preventing their attackers from entering. Here, also, she found Asya saddling her horse. The two friends, upon seeing each other, embraced each other tightly, each relieved to see the other alive. All around them, others were doing the same. As Asya and Evei looked around, they could sense the fear in the air. Older warriors looked silently at the closed doors which opened into the courtyard; mothers held their young daughters close; less experienced fighters were looking numbly around, many acting as if they fully expected to die that day.

At length, the two of them were approached by Azeru, who had her glaive in hand and her own scant supplies strapped to her back. "We've managed to secure the halls nearest to here," she told them. "I'm afraid most of our people didn't make it here alive."

"We'll have to leave if we want to survive ourselves," Asya replied, her voice laden with nervousness.

Azeru nodded to that statement. "The desert is not an option," she counseled the two of them. "We have only one choice: we must make for Hyrule and seek shelter there."

There were a few other Gerudo who had heard their captain's words. These quieted their neighbors until gradually, the stable grew silent and all turned their attention to Azeru. She straightened and did her best to compose herself before firmly pronouncing, "Everyone make ready. We are moving into Hyrule."

There was a moment's silence, as the gravity of the plan sank in. They had been at war with the prosperous kingdom to the east, and there was no telling if they would be welcomed or attacked when they arrived. But it was their only chance at survival.

Then everyone in the stable got up and prepared to leave. Evei walked over several stalls until she found her own horse, a beautiful stallion with a light grey coat, and saddled it. Around her, others were doing the same. From the nearby tunnels came uncountable others who would not be mounted. Several minutes passed before all the surviving Gerudo were assembled in a long column that stretched through the long aisle of the stable and through one of the tunnels. The mounted warriors, Evei, Azeru, and Asya among them, were at the front and those on foot stood behind.

Then, one of the riders at the front caused her steed to rear up and kick the stable door out. As one, the Gerudo rushed forward.

Most of the invading monsters had already entered the interior of the fortress; not many were left to impede the fleeing column. But a number were streaming out from the tunnels of the fortress to pursue them as they rode out into the valley. And so they booked it through the valley.

Their pursuers were right on their heels, though, and gaining. Sometimes, a couple of less fortunate Gerudo in the running column would halt and turn to slow down the pursuing monsters, which were mostly Moblins at this point. They would halt the enemy for a few precious moments before being overwhelmed.

There was no refuge at first when they got to the vast plain of Hyrule Field. The Moblins continued to gain and lose ground on them, pairs and trios of Gerudo continued to lose their lives in desperate bids to buy their fellows more time. Once, Evei turned in the saddle and fired an arrow straight back, over the heads of the column on foot, and into the throat of one of the foremost of the fell creatures.

Moments after she'd fired, a loud bugle note resounded throughout the plain. Evei looked to her left to see a small company of armored Hylian knights rapidly approaching. At their head were two unarmored figures, both of whom sported blond hair; that was all she could make of them, at least. As Evei watched, the knights charged, lances lowered, into the pursuing column of Moblins, obliterating their first several ranks. The mounted company wheeled about and charged again, annihilating the entire force of monsters with alarming efficiency.

At the same time, she felt the column of Gerudo coming to a stop. There, she saw a small, mixed group in conference with Azeru. Evei recognized Zelda, Hyrule's queen, long with Impa, one of the Sages. The others she assumed were Sages, but she could not identify them. Around them, she could see the victorious knights congregating. Azeru was telling them of how they came to be pursued by Ganondorf's new legions.

But Evei had no ears for the story. For ten feet to her left, the Hero of Time sat astride his famous auburn mare, with Ruto, his recent bride and the princess of the Zora people sharing the saddle with him. Next to the Hero, to Evei's surprise, was a young man who looked like a near-exact copy of him, save for being taller and having rounded ears; his saddle was shared by a young Kokiri girl with green hair.

But the young man looked familiar. At first, Evei couldn't place the feeling. Then she realized it. This one was the strange intruder who she had encountered in the fortress two days before.

She was snapped back to reality when Queen Zelda told Azeru, "I guess we can arrange a deal."

Evei could not believe her ears. The Hylians were going to protect them. And maybe, just maybe, they could know a better life.

* * *

 **Well, now that we're five chapters in, I wish to express my thanks to all of you who have taken their time to read this story. Also, feel free to review and give me feedback, especially if you have any ideas for plot points. Remember, your reviews are an integral part of my writing process. Finally, I realize this chapter did not follow Taryn at all. Do not fear, the next chapter will focus on him. Once again, thank you all!**


	6. Chapter 6

It was a few days after the militia left when a mounted courier rode into Kakariko with an urgent message from Queen Zelda. Taryn had seen him when he'd galloped past his father's store and wondered what tidings he was bringing.

He got his answer fifteen minutes later when the bell in the council hall rang. While it was not mandatory for anyone, save for town councilmen, to attend gatherings of the townsfolk, it was generally acknowledged that doing so usually provided the people with valuable, credible news from the other end of the valley. So it was no surprise to Taryn when the dwellings and businesses throughout town emptied as the townspeople strolled to the large grassy area in which gatherings were held.

Taryn and his parents were among those who crowded the gathering place as mayor Yrien and the courier stepped up to the foot of the solitary broadleaf tree in the middle of the gathering place. When Yrien had managed to get the crowd's attention, the courier glanced at the letter he still carried from the queen before speaking. "Queen Zelda has called for able-bodied volunteers to serve in a special regiment of the Army of Hyrule," he proclaimed, "along with any hardy and swift horses that can be loaned. All volunteers are to report to the army headquarters at Lon-Lon Ranch. Equipment will be provided and paid for."

Taryn's eyes widened at that. The current queen had never issued calls for volunteers, since her reign had, so far, been marked by relative peace. The war against the Gerudo must have been intensifying, he realized. Though he didn't like the prospect of going to war, it seemed as though the queen needed all the soldiers she could get.

After the gathering had been dismissed, and Taryn and his family had returned to their store, his father asked him, "Are you going to be volunteering?"

Taryn hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Are you sure you can run the store alone?"

His father smiled sadly and replied, "Yes, I'm sure. I can tell you want to go."

"It's not like I _want_ to," Taryn responded. "But if the queen needs everyone she can get, then who am I to say no?"

His father nodded for a moment before reaching under the store counter. "There's just one thing," he told Taryn. "As the old proverb goes, it's dangerous to go alone." After another second he pulled out a broadsword, with its scabbard and belt, and held it out to him. "So take this," he finished.

Taryn looked at the sheathed weapon, curious. "When did you get a sword like this?" he asked.

"It was mine," his father answered. "I used it during the civil war."

That surprised Taryn, who said, "I never knew you fought in the civil war. Why did you never tell me?"

His father shrugged. "I guess I just don't enjoy the memories," he replied. "Don't ever let yourself fall under the illusion that war is glorious. The few people I know who actually believe that are lunatics who've never been in a war. But take this. And say hi to Eryc for me, will you?"

Taryn nodded as he slowly grasped the sword by its scabbard and took it from his father.

An hour later, he was trotting his horse out of the town and into the valley that led to Hyrule Field, sword strapped to his left hip. With one last quick look at Kakariko, he started the short journey to Lon-Lon Ranch.

It took three hours to reach the ranch, and he passed through the gate with no hassle. Once inside, an infantryman strode up to him and asked, "Are you here to volunteer?"

Taryn nodded to this, and was directed to a small wooden building amongst the numerous barracks there. There he was examined by a Hylian knight, who handed him a peculiar set of equipment, consisting of an iron-studded leather cuirass, an open iron helm, a purple cloak with a hood, a recurve bow, and three cases of arrows. After he'd put on the armor and cloak, he was allowed to leave the building and assigned to a barrack.

On the way there, he passed one of the open training grounds. As he passed, he did a double take, for the area was taken up by a couple hundred small canvas tents. And moving amongst the tents were scores of Gerudo warriors.

Taryn stopped and stared, wide-eyed. He'd thought the Gerudo were at war with Hyrule. He'd assumed he would be fighting _against_ the Gerudo, not _alongside_ them.

As he stared on, a familiar voice behind him said, "I know. I still haven't gotten used to it myself."

Taryn turned to see Eryc standing just behind him. The two brothers shared a warm embrace before Taryn asked, "What are they doing here?"

Eryc briefly looked past him at some of the Gerudo in the encampment, before replying, "They decided to ally with us against Ganon. His legions have been released now that the Hero of Time is back and has the Master Sword again."

As wide as they had been upon seeing the Gerudo, Taryn's eyes widened even further at the news that the Hero of Time had actually been successfully rescued.

Eryc's next words brought him back out of his thoughts: "So, you decided you're going to be a horse archer?"

Taryn looked back at his brother, confused. "Is that what this special regiment is?" When Eryc nodded, he found another question: "But why horse archers? I thought the Gerudo were the only people who did horse archery."

"Which is why the Gerudo will be training you," Eryc replied.

Taryn wasn't sure what to make of this. Everyone knew that the Gerudo and the Hylians never had stable relations, so for them to be firm allies in war, let alone for Gerudo to actually train Hylian soldiers, sounded far-fetched to Taryn.

Eryc seemed to sense his confusion. "Don't worry about it," he reassured. "From what I've seen, the Gerudo aren't bad people. Just…a bit different. Maybe we can all learn something."

And when Taryn thought about it, it began to make sense. After a few moments, he finally told Eryc, "Father says hi, by the way."

Eryc chuckled at that. Then the two of them parted, and Taryn entered the barrack he'd been assigned.


	7. Chapter 7

Evei looked uncertainly at the handful of recruits, appraising them, along with some of her comrades. Before her stood a line of about fifteen Hylians, all wearing the equipment they had been issued. There was nothing uniform about the group, save for their gear. They represented a wide age range, and varying levels of skill; one young Hylian, maybe a couple years younger than her, was even holding his bow upside-down.

She leaned to her left and whispered into Azeru's ear, "These are the new horse archers? Are you sure this is a good idea?"

Azeru kept her eyes forward, as she softly replied, "They'll pick things up."

As she returned her gaze to the small group of recruits, she hoped Azeru was correct.

As it turned out, most of the trainees had a basic knowledge of archery. Even the young one, after Azeru had corrected how he held the bow, managed to hit one of the targets set up on the range. As the first training session progressed, Evei had to admit that maybe these new recruits could be whipped into shape. With more recruits expected to flow in, she wondered just how effective the unit would be when it came time to fight the legions of evil.

…

Taryn sank into a fighting stance, his wooden training sword presented towards the Hylian knight who was sparring with him. The knight lowered his own sword and told Taryn to hold his stance. As the young Hylian froze in place, his older mentor walked around him, appraising the way he stood and held his weapon. The knight made a few corrections to Taryn's stance; his grip on the weapon passed inspection. Then the knight fell into a fighting stance of his own and called for the start of another sparring session.

The bout didn't last more than ten seconds. After a moment's hesitation, Taryn made an experimental attack for his opponent's legs. The knight deftly slid back to avoid the swing, before following up with a trio of precise cuts to the head, left kidney, and right shoulder, each of which Taryn barely managed to block or dodge. Hoping to at least avoid looking like a fool, Taryn then quickly cut for the knight's exposed left side.

But his trainer was lethally quick; the knight deflected the cut and grabbed Taryn's arm with his free hand, before stepping in and miming a thrust in the gut, pulling the strike short so the tip of the practice weapon lightly poked Taryn's stomach.

The young trainee, naturally, recoiled at the touch of the weapon, before the two of them disengaged. "Well done," the knight encouraged. "You managed to put up a defense. Remember, in battle, the creatures you face will be focused on killing you. They will not be so focused on defending themselves. Your best hope lies in being quicker on the attack than your enemy. Now let's go again. Be more aggressive this time."

And so the two of them fell into stance, and the duel resumed. This time, Taryn did not hesitate to go on the attack, throwing a series of cuts and slashes as quickly as he could. The knight facing him, of course, had no trouble stopping each attack, but the younger soldier was keeping him busy.

This round lasted longer than had the previous one. But, in the end, the knight sensed a lapse in the flow of Taryn's attacks and followed through with several cuts of his own. Taryn, growing tired from the day of training, blocked one, barely dodged two more, and clumsily deflected a thrust for his chest. Then the knight's weapon lightly tapped the side of his neck.

Taryn immediately stood down and fought the urge to sigh in fatigue. It seemed he still had a ways to go before he would be ready to face actual combat.

…

That night, Evei, Nysa, and Azeru leaned against the fence of one of the corrals, surveying the subdued activity of the ranch. A few Hylians were out of the barracks, walking between buildings on errands known only to themselves. The three Gerudo were relaxed at the moment; the day of training sometimes-clueless Hylians had finished, and the time for rest had come.

Nysa, her arms draped over the fence railings, was the first to speak: "It's been a while since I've seen Nabooru. I mean, ever since she became one of the Hylians' Sages, she's been away from the Fortress."

Evei nodded slowly. "After so many months with Ganondorf back," she said, "it's going to be hard to remember that _she's_ the one who's loyal to our people."

Her two companions displayed no visible reactions, although the sky was too dark for her to have seen them if they had. At length, Azeru told the other two, "She and I have talked some since we arrived. She understands the situation we were in and has forgiven us for forsaking her when Ganondorf returned."

That news gladdened both Nysa and Evei's hearts. They remained there for several more moments before Azeru asked them, "What do you two plan on doing once the Hylians accept us into their land?"

Nysa was the first to answer: "I'll move right into Castle Town and work at an inn. In ten or twenty years, maybe I'll run one of my own. It'll be the friendliest inn in all of Hyrule, and Queen Zelda and Impa and the Hero of Time themselves will go there whenever they want to have a good meal and good company."

Evei grinned broadly at her comrade's lofty dream and the optimism with which she told them of it. "That sounds fun," she replied to Nysa. "I think I'll buy myself a farm, right out here on the plains. Maybe I'll find some young Hylian to start a family with, someone who can see past all the years of war and be accepting of who I am. And every evening, I'll step out the door and breathe in this nice, fresh air and enjoy being at peace. What about you, Azeru?"

The tall captain smiled at Evei's sought-after future and began a description of her own: "When this war's over, I'm going to do some travelling. I want to see the whole land. I'll visit Death Mountain and the Lost Woods, and I'll meet Zoras and Kokiri and learn so much. That reminds me, I've always wondered what happened to Impa's people, the Sheikah. Maybe someday, I'll go someplace and find out. And every day, Nysa, I'm going to swing by your inn and bug you." She placed a friendly hand on Nysa's shoulder as she said this, amidst all three of their laughter.

Several yards away, Taryn exited an indoor stable where he'd been feeding the horse he'd brought and walked towards his barrack. Nearby, he heard a chorus of soft laughter. Pausing and looking to its source, he saw three Gerudo warriors in various relaxed positions against the fence of a corral, chatting softly in the night. They seemed so happy, so comfortable, so… _normal_ , that Taryn had to wonder if Gerudo and Hylians were really that different at all.

After a moment's musing, though, he resumed his stroll to his barrack, tired after hours of weapons training, and hoping to get a good night's sleep.


	8. Chapter 8

Recruits for the horse archer regiment continued to flow into the ranch for a good while. Evei, Azeru, and the other Gerudo archery trainers were almost constantly on their feet correcting recruits' techniques, instructing them on how to improve, and sometimes giving the newest arrivals basic instruction simply on how to hold their bows. The levels of skill each new recruit brought to the table began to vary as widely as their ages. Evei personally began to find it somewhat tedious to constantly have to correct something. But each time she felt she might lash out at someone, she reminded herself that the training she gave these horse archers might well safeguard Hyrule.

So it was by the eighth day of training, she had stopped getting annoyed by mistakes the trainees made. It was a happy coincidence, perhaps, that that day in particular seemed to be a good day for the recruits, as far as remembering their technique was concerned. That meant, by extension, a more-or-less pleasant day for her.

There were, of course, always small issues that needed to be addressed. For example, a tall, middle-aged gentleman had a slightly narrower-than-proper stance, a Hylian in his twenties who was probably a Castle Town native, while looking very determined, had drawn an arrow on the wrong side of the bow, and the teenager from the first batch of recruits wasn't pulling in his stomach or pulling back his shoulder blades.

As she corrected this last individual's form, she felt him tense as she pushed in his stomach, and completely freeze up when she drew back his scapulae. The youngster looked back at her, looking…well, she couldn't place his expression, but she was going to guess that he was slightly flustered. His face, as well, looked a small bit pinker than she was used to seeing it. Had he not tensed up at her corrections, she likely wouldn't have even noted that last fact. He looked back at the target and relaxed after she gave him an encouraging gesture towards the target. When his arrow impacted just outside the target's inner ring, he looked back at her, as if for confirmation that his technique had been acceptable. She nodded once in encouragement, before saying, "Remember how that felt," and moving on to another trainee who was drawing with his thumb and forefinger.

…

Later that day, Taryn stood in one of the stables, stroking his horse's neck and enjoying a period of free time. "Today was weird," he said aloud, to no one in particular, but maybe to the horse.

In truth, that day _had_ been slightly unusual for Taryn. After archery training, he was paired up with Eryc for swordsmanship training. Eryc proved to be a kind teacher, and just as forgiving of errors as the other knights – He pulled blows that he knew were going to hit Taryn so he only felt a light poke or tap. And, of course, being his brother, Eryc had been more encouraging than some of the other trainers.

But there was one moment that made it a bit uncomfortable. Once, during a sparring session, Eryc had, predictably, broken through Taryn's guard and poked him in the stomach. Taryn, still flustered from archery training, tensed up and doubled over more than usual. Eryc had appeared nervous, probably worrying he had jabbed him too hard. But Taryn was quick to reassure him that it was only due to one of his Gerudo trainers pushing in his stomach to correct his technique.

That had caused Eryc to brighten up considerably and start gently teasing him about the incident. According to Eryc, at least, his cheeks and even his long, lanceolate ears had reddened considerably at that.

Thanks to Eryc's teasing, Taryn was now having difficulty taking his mind off the incident. He couldn't remember a time in his life when _anyone_ had put a hand on his stomach. Sure, he'd been prodded there by wooden training swords numerous times by that point, but never by a bare, empty hand.

And then there was what his trainer had said after he'd made his shot: _Remember how that felt_. Taryn knew, of course, that she had meant for him to remember the feeling of the correct stance, and he certainly recalled that, but the feeling of hands on his abdomen and shoulders had pushed themselves to the forefront of his memory. Even as he grabbed an apple from a small bin in the stable's hallway and held it out to the horse, his mind was wandering back to that training session.

Just as his horse was biting into the apple, Taryn heard a voice behind him. "Good for you," it said.

Taryn turned to look back, his hand with the apple still held out to his horse. And there, standing by the apple bin, was the _same exact_ Gerudo who had corrected his firing stance only hours before. She was looking directly at him with an appraising look to her. "You take good care of your horse," she said at length.

Taryn continued to stand there, nervous, rooted to the spot in front of his steed. But now, in addition to being nervous, he was also curious as to why this Gerudo would choose to compliment the care he gave his horse. She seemed to sense this and continued: "You can tell a lot about someone by the way they treat a horse. Especially if it's their own. Is that one yours?"

Numbly, Taryn nodded. A corner of his trainer's mouth went up. "He's a fine-looking mount," she observed. "By the way, you're getting better at shooting. Keep up the good work."

With each word the young Gerudo said, Taryn began to get more flustered. She wasn't Eryc, so why would she, being his trainer, wish to make conversation with him?

His mouth was as dry as wheat flour by the time she asked, "Just out of curiosity, what's your name?"

It took him a few moments of swallowing before his throat was damp enough for him to practically squeak out, "Taryn. What's yours?"

The Gerudo walked over to him and held out a hand. "I'm Evei," she stated as Taryn shook her hand, somewhat weakly.

Evei was amused at the way Taryn's almond-shaped eyes widened, making his nervousness quite apparent. As she walked away from him – after a friendly nod of the head – she could hear his footsteps as he exited the stable. Moments later, as she went over to her own stallion, she heard another set of footsteps walking over. She turned curiously to see Azeru walking down the aisle, glancing back at the door, looking just as amused as Evei had been moments earlier.

She got up to Evei and asked, "Did you see that kid who just walked out of here?" When the younger Gerudo nodded, she asked, "What did you do to him?"

Evei shrugged. "Just found him in here, taking care of his horse. So I just said hi to him."

Azeru looked back at the door, appearing as though she were inspecting it, and liking what she saw. "You know," she told Evei, "If I only had his expression to go on, I'd say he likes you."

"Funny you should mention it," Evei replied, a smirk coming to her face. "I think you might be right."


	9. Chapter 9

Once Taryn had left the stable, he had fled towards his barrack, hoping not to be noticed by anyone who knew him, as he was sure his face was still more than a little red. On his way, he came dangerously close to colliding with a Hylian knight, a crossbowman, and a rather confused Gerudo. But he managed to reach he wooden building without incident and hurry inside.

One of his recent roommates, a Castle Town native just a year or two older than him named Cambrion, noticed his expression and commented, "You look like you just ran into a Gerudo raiding party. What happened?"

Still nervous, Taryn turned to his new companion and replied, "Actually, that's not too far off. But it wasn't a whole party, it was just one of them. One of our trainers."

"The young-ish one?" Cambrion inquired, to which Taryn nodded. "Good grief," the older lad continued, "what did she do to you?"

Starting to get over the surge of adrenaline that had been pumping through him, Taryn answered, "Other than putting her hand on my stomach at training and then talking to me in the stable, nothing… _yet_."

Cambrion's eyes widened in disbelief. "You're scared of her because of _that_?" he asked, incredulous.

"Not scared," Taryn responded. "I don't know what I'm feeling. It's just really unclear right now. But I've never felt like this before."

And right then, Cambrion knew what was going on. "Sounds like this is your first time being star-struck," he explained.

Taryn had heard that phrase before, and knew what it meant. But he quickly shook his head and insisted, "No, no, it can't be that." But, in all reality, he hadn't the slightest idea what he was feeling. For all he or anyone else knew, he _could have_ been star-struck.

And the thought of that made him feel all the more nervous.

…

The next day, he stood on the sword training field, alongside several of his fellow recruits, Cambrion included, and a few other assorted soldiers, and across from a group of knights, which included Eryc, as well as the Hero of Time himself. The trainees were being paired off with instructors for the day, and, as usual, Taryn found himself hoping to be partnered with Eryc.

He didn't expect, however, to be paired with the famous green-clad warrior. Which made it pleasantly surprising when he was. His eyes went wide as the older Hylian strode over to him. Eryc had once spoken to him of receiving training from the legendary Hero. But Taryn never thought that _he_ would have the opportunity to train with him. It was, of course, all Taryn could do to keep himself focused on his swordplay.

It turned out that Link, the Hero of Time, was perhaps the most forgiving trainer in Hyrule's history. He went easier on Taryn than even Eryc had. Of course, he pulled the blows of his wooden training sword so that his young trainee wouldn't be hurt, a fact which Taryn appreciated no matter who was doing it. In fact, the Hero's gentle hints and easygoing manner reminded him of his older brother. Though Taryn did have a bit of a learning curve against a new, left-handed opponent. But Link made it easy for him to get the hang of it.

It was at the end of one sparring session when Taryn noticed something quite strange. "Shouldn't you have your Triforce piece on your hand?" he asked.

The Hero briefly looked at his left hand, which conspicuously lacked a Triforce symbol. Then he shrugged. "It's nothing," he replied. "Ganon managed to remove my piece of the Triforce from me. But thankfully, it went into someone else." As he said this, he jerked his head to indicate Eryc's sparring partner, a tall, round-eared young man who bore a striking resemblance to the Hero. Taryn could see the Triforce symbol giving off a faint glow on this stranger's hand.

"Who is he?" he asked at length.

"His name's Brian," replied the Hero. "He helped rescue me from Ganon."

That made Taryn's eyes go wide. That must have been the foreigner the queen had brought in to help rescue the Hero of Time. He must have been staying to help fight the war against the King of Evil. And, to look at him spar with Eryc, it appeared as though he was also still learning how to use a sword.

Taryn shrugged, before starting his next sparring session. Some things were bound to be weird like that.

…

"Oh look," Azeru teased Evei, "There's your boyfriend getting trained by the Hero of Time!"

Evei was rather difficult to embarrass. But, in this instance, her copper-colored face developed a pinkish tinge as Azeru, Asya, Kiru, and Nysa started laughing. The captain had told them all of her conversation with Evei the day before in the stable, and, needless to say, it had become their favorite subject to talk about.

Evei's embarrassment was increased marginally when Kiru joked, "Hey, he doesn't look half bad. Maybe a little young, but still old enough. You should ask him out sometime."

Finally, the young archer decided to dampen their mood. "If he'll even let me get anywhere close to him," she replied. "You should've seen him at archery training today. Every time I went near him to correct something, he adjusted his stance immediately, I guess so there wouldn't be any point to it. Besides, there isn't any place _out_ to go. But Azeru, tell me, what's the Hero-of-Something-Other-Than-Time like?" That was the nickname the five of them had come up with for the new bearer of the Triforce of Courage, the young blonde man whom Evei had encountered in the Fortress all those days ago.

Azeru shrugged. "Pretty smart," she replied. "He's a fair strategist. He's the one, apparently, who came up with the idea for a group of horse archers. Still learning how to fight, though, but he's an alright person. I'm pretty sure Queen Zelda's got her eye on him too. And the Hero of Time has pretty much become his best friend. Oh, and his name's Brian."

All four of the other Gerudo nodded in acknowledgement. Then Asya broke in: "But Evei, I think you were trying to change the subject. Whatcha think about this Taryn kid?"

Evei put her palm to her forehead. She supposed this was going to continue for some time.


	10. Chapter 10

**My dear readers, I am terribly sorry for how long it has been since last I worked on this story. I shall endeavor to make progress more regularly from here on out. But for now, many thanks for your patience. And by all means, feel free to review this; I always enjoy reading your comments, and I often get ideas from them. So, without further ado, here is chapter 10.**

* * *

Taryn rode toward a raised target, bow in hand, an arrow on the string. As quickly as he could, he brought the bow up and drew back the arrow, letting his mind become attuned to the target, to his bow, and to the movements of his horse, just as Evei, the Gerudo trainer, had just finished explaining to him and his comrades. As he drew alongside the target, which was a large terra cotta jar filled with water, he released the bowstring. The Gerudo-style recurve bow spat out the grey-shafted arrow. The missile struck the looping handle of the jar, halving it and jerking the vessel off its stand. Some of Taryn's fellow trainees applauded as it fell to the grassy earth and shattered.

It was Taryn's first time actually hitting his target that day; he had already tried thrice before, and, as he expected, firing from horseback was proving more challenging than firing on foot. But finally, he'd managed to make a decent shot. He slowed his mount down to a canter and directed him to where the arrow lay in the grass. After dismounting and picking the arrow up, he rode back into the line of mounted recruits awaiting their next turn to fire. On his way, Evei rode up on her own steed and gave him a congratulatory clap on the shoulder. Taryn flinched very slightly at the contact, brief as it was. Even after three weeks of being trained by this young Gerudo, he still felt vaguely uncomfortable in her presence. The incident in the stable had stuck with him, causing his face to turn pink anytime it was mentioned.

As Taryn trotted his horse back into the line, he forced the memory down and turned to watch as another water jar was set and Cambrion prepared to take his turn. The Castle Town native had exhibited more natural skill at horse archery than Taryn, having clipped targets twice already on this first day of mounted target practice. When Evei gave the signal, Cambrion zealously dug his heels into the sides of his mare, taking off at a rather reckless pace. As he neared the target, Taryn realized his friend had forgotten to nock an arrow.

It turned out that Cambrion was just fine, however, as he pulled an arrow out of one of his saddle cases and nocked it rapidly. The older boy brought the bow to full draw and almost instantaneously let the arrow fly. Taryn's eyes widened as the arrow hit the jar squarely in the middle, sending pottery shards flying in all directions. As Cambrion rode to collect his shaft, Taryn wondered if his barrack partner wasn't part Gerudo himself. Then he decided against that possibility: Cambrion didn't look even the slightest bit like one of the desert-dwelling folk. Besides, the Gerudo only ever had daughters, save once every century.

By this time, Cambrion had finally made his way next to Taryn. "Nice shot," the Kakariko native congratulated his friend. The complement was received with a warm smile, and another clap on the shoulder.

This time, Taryn didn't flinch from it.

…

That evening, he sat at a fire, with Eryc seated next to him, and a small circle of friends surrounding the flames. Since he'd arrived at Lon-Lon Ranch, Taryn had gained a rather small, but growing group of close companions. Eryc was, of course, still his closest friend, but he hung out with a number of others in his spare time. Cambrion was notable among these, as was Stennel, the blacksmith from Kakariko; he had joined the horse archer regiment after a week, and helped out in the army's smithy when he wasn't training. Taryn's group of friends this night also included an energetic seven-year-old Gerudo named Myna. Cambrion had essentially adopted the child after learning that her mother had lost her life in her people's flight to Hyrule. Tonight, she was asleep in Cambrion's lap, her small head resting against his neck.

As such, Eryc kept his voice relatively quiet as he said to Taryn, "By the way, you're doing a _lot_ better in sword training."

Taryn grinned at the praise from his brother. Swordsmanship lessons were finally starting to pay off for him; he estimated that he was in the top third of the regiment in sword training. Though Cambrion could, and had earlier that day, shoot circles around him with a bow, Taryn tended to get the better of his friend during sparring sessions, both as part of training and on their own time.

"I've had some good teachers and a _lot_ of practice," he replied to Eryc, still smiling.

Unexpectedly, Eryc grinned in return. "Like that young Gerudo?" he teased, referring, of course, to Evei.

Taken off guard by the teasing, Taryn turned a subtle shade of pink, which, in the firelight, looked rather odd. "Yes, like her," Taryn replied through gritted teeth. "You're heartless, you know that?"

His brother only gave him a warm smile as he draped an arm over his shoulders and answered. "It's my job." Then his eyes went wide and he looked up, behind Taryn. The younger boy turned around to see what had caught Eryc's attention. Taryn found himself looking at a pair of legs, clad in a pair of light, baggy pink trousers. As his gaze travelled upwards, he realized that the newcomer was, ironically, Evei herself. To Taryn's dismay, she promptly sat between him and Cambrion. The older boy noticed this as well, and immediately turned his gaze to Taryn, a mischievous grin on his face as he winked at him.

Taryn's face had just returned to its normal hue, but that wink made it turn as red as Evei's hair.

That was also the exact moment when Myna decided to wake up from her nap. She slid off of Cambrion's lap, walked around the circle. She practically jumped onto Eryc's lap and threw her arms around his neck. Then she did the same with Taryn, who returned the embrace, glad to have a distraction from the teenage Gerudo sitting adjacent to him.

That is, if Evei hadn't asked Myna, "What, I don't get a hug too?" Giggling like little girls are prone to do, Myna took one arm and wrapped it around Evei's neck, drawing her into what turned out to be a rather awkward (and embarrassing, in one were to ask Taryn's opinion) group hug. Evei leaned in to give the small child a soft peck on the forehead; this inadvertently caused a brief instant where Evei's cheek brushed against Taryn's. Naturally, Taryn stiffened at the contact. As the older Gerudo broke her hug with the younger one (who was still in Taryn's lap), he caught a rather sly grin on Evei's face, that was directed either at him or at Myna.

Needless to say, Taryn's face and ears were still quite pink when he and Cambrion went to bed that night.


	11. Chapter 11

The final week of training went by quickly, both for the horse archers and for everyone involved in training them. The trainees, motivated almost universally by an increasing eagerness to be prepared for battle, were spending great portions of their time honing the skills they were learning. Taryn was one of these. He scarcely allowed himself any leisure time, and could almost always be found practicing exhaustively throughout the ranch.

The only free time he allowed himself was at night, when he would hang out with his friends around a fire. Inexplicably (at least, to Taryn), Evei joined them each of those nights. She was a talkative fellow, Taryn noticed, a fact which set him at ease around her, at least a little bit. After the first few nights of her joining them, he began to get used to her being around, and no longer felt nervous in her presence.

Which was why he did not feel uncomfortable as he rode between her and Cambrion near the front of the horse archer regiment on the day of their first mission. The unit was being sent into the Gerudo Valley to launch a surprise attack on Ganon's forces, which were alleged to be holed up in the old fortress.

As the company of 120 horse archers (twenty of which were Gerudo who had volunteered for the mission, including Evei) cantered through the valley entrance, Taryn began to get a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. He and the others were heading into enemy territory, about to have their first battle with the legions of monstrosities that lurked therein.

His nervousness must have shown, for Evei looked over at him and said, "You don't look so well. You think you'll make it?"

Taryn returned her gaze briefly, then stared back ahead as he answered, "I sure hope so."

On her part, Evei felt nervous as well. The last time she'd seen this valley, she had been riding for her life alongside her sisters-in-arms. However, while she did have some trepidation going into the fight, she forced herself to relax. After all, the chances of any of them being killed were surprisingly low, given how outnumbered they were about to be. Of course, that depended on whether or not their unit commander had the presence of mind to sound the retreat if danger got too close. She glanced over at the commander, who happened to be the young man who resembled the Hero of Time. She sincerely hoped he wouldn't make any grievous mistakes. If he did, it would cost a lot of lives.

As they crossed the wood-plank bridge over where the Zora River cut across the valley, Evei looked back over at her young friend (for, she felt, she could actually consider him as such) and told him, "This feels strange. I grew up here, and now I'm having to fight to take it back."

Taryn's eyes rested on her a bit longer this time. "By the looks of it," he replied, "this is just the start of this whole thing."

Soon after the bridge, the company came upon the enemy's pickets. Ten Bokoblins, their skin bearing a bluish complexion, screeched in surprise and pulled out their blades in a pitiful attempt to halt their advance. Taryn was in the process of pulling an arrow out of one of his quivers, but Evei held out a hand to forestall him. "Save them for the fort," she suggested. "Let some of the others take care of this."

As it turned out, Evei's advice was prudent; a barrage of about forty arrows (including one from the Hero of Time) hit the Bokoblins. None of that handful survived. But Evei guessed that their cries would have been heard in the courtyard of the fortress.

Once again, her guess was correct. The courtyard was bustling with creatures; Bulblins and Bokoblins mostly, but with a few Moblins and other reasonably tough beings mingled within. The commander called a halt right at the gap in the valley walls which led into the fort. A few Bulblins serving as lookouts saw their sudden appearance and blew on horns made from boars' tusks. The note they produced was, befittingly for such an insidious force, high and strident, far from the dulcet tone of the Gerudo alarm horn.

At the sound, the commander, bow in hand, called out, "Fire at will!" And, though some of the fell warriors in the fort were only a few yards distance from them, the company spat out a near-constant stream of arrows. Taryn silently rejoiced as his first arrow practically burst a Bulblin's skull; of course, at the same time, the sight of it made him dearly want to heave out his breakfast. But he managed to control his bowels as his next shot punched through a Moblin's chest.

Mounted next to him, Evei couldn't believe how effective the force was proving to be. Ganon's troops didn't appear to stand much of a chance as arrows scythed through their ranks. As she looked around, she saw countless examples of amazing marksmanship. Taryn, she noted with pride, was hitting most of the targets he sighted at. His slightly older friend...she recalled his name being Cambrion...was firing shaft after shaft into Ganon's ranks at a pace that made her wonder if he didn't have some Gerudo blood in him. Just off to her left, the Hero of Time had just nailed a Moblin between the eyes, and, next to him, his taller lookalike sent an arrow through a Stalfos' spine, cleaving it in half.

After a while, a squad of Bulblin archers finally showed up to lend some resistance to the horse archers. But that was made virtually meaningless by their short, low-powered bows and stone-tipped arrows. An arrow managed to hit Taryn squarely in the chest, yet it failed to pass through his leather cuirass; Taryn actually pulled it out and shot it back at the sender, with a more favorable result. There were a few lucky shots by the Bulblins; a Gerudo on Evei's left (a civil war veteran named Nialu) had to stop firing when an arrow went through the right hand. But she was one of a very few who took any meaningful injuries. In almost no time at all, the enemy archers were down. Never once did the lethal barrage of arrows pause.

It only ceased after a small team of Darknuts emerged from inside the fortress and brazenly charged at the horse archers. Several Hylians, Taryn included, fired at them, but their arrows failed to puncture the oncoming giants' armor. Wisely, the commander hollered out, "Pull back!" Everyone heeded the order, and within moments, the regiment was galloping back the way they came, with the Darknuts and various other creatures not far behind.

Evei and Taryn found themselves almost at the rear of the retreating line; only the two Heroes trailed them. As Evei fired straight back to bring down a Bokoblin near the front of the pursuing column, she mused to herself about how familiar that exact situation was; for the second time since Ganondorf's return, she found herself retreating down the valley towards Hyrule Field.

Her thoughts were cut short by the dull crashing sound of a falling horse. She snapped back into reality to find that Taryn was no longer riding alongside her. She looked back to see him rising to his feet, his horse sprawled on the ground. Even from her ever-increasing distance, Evei could tell the horse had severely broken its leg. And Taryn was staying there, desperately trying to get the poor beast back on its feet, seemingly oblivious to the numerous foes closing rapidly in on him.

Evei quickly made calculations in her head. She would be able to reach him before the monsters did, but she'd be cutting it close. But she forced her sudden alarm down as she wheeled her own stallion around and came charging back up the valley, her bowstring singing with her rapid shots at the approaching enemy.

She did not waste a moment as she pulled up to Taryn. "We have to get out of here!" she warned her younger comrade. She didn't allow him any time to respond, though, and immediately grabbed him under his arms and pulled him onto her mount's back. "Hang on," she told him, before turning her steed once again and taking off after the rest of the unit. Taryn got the hint and wrapped his arms tightly around her waist to avoid hitting the ground again.

The next several minutes were a wild ride for the two of them, as they, along with all their brothers and sisters-in-arms set a driving pace through the valley. Finally, the narrows opened out onto the plain of Hyrule Field, and their pursuers gave up the chase and marched back towards the fortress. The company, free from danger now, slowed down and took the rest of the trip back to Lon-Lon Ranch at a more relaxed rate.

As they trotted along, Taryn finally found his voice again. "Thanks," he said to Evei. "You just saved my skin. I owe you one."

Evei cracked a small grin at that. "I'm glad I did it," she relied simply, her left hand going unconsciously to Taryn's arms, which were still around her.

She didn't have to look at him to know that his face and ears were likely turning pink at the gesture. She couldn't blame him either; her action had caused her own face to redden slightly.


	12. Chapter 12

Taryn sat uncertainly in the saddle of a lean, beige Gerudo stallion, looking hesitantly down at the four Gerudo who were expectantly waiting for him to urge it forward. He had been nervous about this when Evei had suggested it, and he was still nervous now. Of course, that was only natural for him; losing his old mare from Kakariko had caused Taryn no small amount of grief, but Evei, Cambrion, Eryc, and virtually everyone else who knew him had said he needed to find a new mount.

He just wasn't so sure about this particular one. He'd heard stories of people getting injured from attempting to ride stallions. The fact that this one was Gerudo-bred did nothing to alleviate the trepidation he felt; if anything, it caused him even more uncertainty, especially given the fact that its name (as Evei had told him) was Whirlwind.

Evei seemed to sense her friend's alarm. She tipped her hand towards the steed in what she hoped was a gesture of encouragement. Beside her, Myna, bearing her customary little-girl smile, cheered up at him, "Don't worry. He won't go wild." Her exclamation caused the Evei and the other two older Gerudo (Evei had introduced them as Azeru and Asya) to crack grins.

Hoping Myna was correct, he looked back ahead, steeled himself, and lightly pressed into the horse's flanks with his toes. To his surprise, Whirlwind started up at a reasonable trot. Far from being a terrifying ride, the desert stallion's smooth gait was a pleasant surprise. His confidence growing, Taryn toed Whirlwind's flanks again. He immediately questioned that decision as the horse shot forth like a crossbow bolt. Now Taryn realized why this steed had been named Whirlwind; he was finding it hard to keep hold of the reins. But, having a fair amount of experience with horses, he managed to get the beige stallion to turn around. However, Whirlwind did not slow down, and Taryn found himself barreling towards the four Gerudo at an alarming rate. Hoping to slow down, he pulled back on the reins.

To his dismay, Whirlwind not only slowed down, but abruptly stopped and reared up high. Unprepared for the sudden lurch backwards, Taryn lost his grip on the reins and hit the grass hard on his tailbone.

He lay there for several seconds, groaning at the pain that quickly spread throughout the lower half of him, before a pair of short, skinny arms wrapped around his head and shoulder. "Are you alright?" came Myna's worried voice. Gritting his teeth at the ache in his backside, he nodded, proceeding to push himself to his feet. Myna had been followed in short order by Evei and her two friends. He could see that Azeru, the oldest of the three, was cringing, and Asya, despite her grin, had a very uncertain look in her eyes. Evei, like Myna, looked downright concerned as she stared down at him.

It took at least a full minute for Taryn to extricate himself from Myna's arms and rise slowly to his feet, his backside giving him fits as he did so. As he walked a bit stiffly back up to Whirlwind, Evei asked, her voice matching the concern in her expression, "Are you sure you're fine?"

He was unsure as to why he felt so, but he knew he was not about to give up in front of his former trainer. "I'm alright," he answered, before lifting his foot up to put it in the stirrup.

He was confused when he didn't feel the stirrup around his foot. Upon looking down, he realized the cause of this: the top of his foot hadn't even reached the plate of the stirrup. He tried to lift his foot higher, but, aside from the pain in his rear end, his entire hip had stiffened beyond any hope of accomplishing the task he had set for it.

All four of the Gerudo watching him got a glimpse of his irritated visage as he turned it on his stubborn leg. _At least he's taking it well_ , Evei thought as she watched him attempt fruitlessly to pull his leg upwards with his hand. Finally, she spoke: "Maybe you should get some rest. That's a bruise for sure."

Grimacing, Taryn replied, "Looks like." He gave up his struggles with his stiff joints and walked away from the horse. That, at least, he _could_ manage. Evei immediately threaded an arm under his and around his back to give him some extra support. Taryn looked at her, about to say that he did not require such assistance. At least, that was until his hand brushed against her shoulder. At that, all he could manage to get out was "Thanks."

In response, Evei gave him a kind smile and took the hand draped across her in her own free hand.

Taryn had turned his head forward again, but looked back at her now. As he did, he saw something totally unexpected: her cheeks had a reddish tint that hadn't been there before. It bore a resemblance to what he imagined his own face looked like right now (if the rising temperature of his face was anything to go by). And that confused him to no end.

Behind them, Azeru looked at Asya and whispered, "Whaddya know." Asya answered with a grin, a genuine one this time. A discreet look from Evei told Azeru that she hadn't been quiet enough in her observation, at least, not enough for Evei to be unaware of it.

Taryn, on the other hand, had not heard the quiet jibe. He was still trying to make sense of the apparent blushing of his friend. He was used to the feeling of sudden warmth in his face by now, but to see its outward signs in someone else (particularly someone who had such an effect on him) had a hard time computing in his mind.

He was still having trouble wrapping his mind around it when they reached his barrack. Asya and Azeru hung back while Evei, Taryn, and Myna entered. Cambrion was sitting on his own bed, and looked up as the three of them walked in. Though Myna instantly bounced over to him and jumped into his lap, his eyes were fixed nervously on Taryn, who appeared to have been injured.

Evei caught the look in his eye, and explained, "Riding accident." Only when the pair reached Taryn's bed did she let go of her younger companion, only to pull him into a close hug (which, she noted optimistically, he returned), saying softly, "Get some rest, alright?"

Taryn nodded his acknowledgement of the advice. He was rewarded with another smile from Evei. Then, on a sudden impulse, she leaned in and dealt him a soft peck on the forehead, before turning and walking out of the barrack.

Cambrion and Myna both caught the amusing red color that washed over Taryn, and looked at him with wide eyes as he got himself into the bed. Then an ear-to-ear grin broke out on Myna's small face as she whispered to Cambrion, "I _knew_ it!"


	13. Chapter 13

Due to his bruised rear end, and the lingering stiffness that accompanied it, Taryn was unable to ride for the best part of the week, which was, for him, somewhat of a shame, as the horse archers were starting to see more action now. From what Evei, Eryc, Stennel, and Cambrion would tell him whenever they were in his barrack, Ganon was now sending patrols to probe the Hylian defences, and contingents of the horse archer company were sent out every day to either wipe out these patrols or send them back before they could gather any intelligence.

Personally, Taryn despised having to lie in his bed with no one around for much of his time. Having already known this about his younger brother, Eryc would frequently visit him, and they would talk to pass the time. Not surprisingly anymore, Evei was another frequent visitor; being an experienced rider, she would have him get out of bed and do squats to regain the flexibility in his legs, but would also just sit there and talk to him sometimes. Although, after that kiss on the forehead the day of his injury, he always felt a little tense when she was just hanging out.

Though, to be fair, Evei made for good company. She would regale him with entertaining stories of his other friends' day-to-day antics around the camp. Sometimes, she would even tell him stories of the other Gerudo. Some tales were recent, though others went back to her life in the Gerudo fortress. Taryn began to have an idea of how the Gerudo lived normally. For a part of his brain, the idea of having to conduct small raids just for food and other basic necessities seemed quite adventurous, no matter how he tried to mentally deny it. Another part of him was saddened that Evei and her sisters had to live in such a manner.

But Evei told him his favorite story on his fifth (and, incidentally, final) day of rest. He had just finished doing a set of squats as she'd prescribed, and was sitting back on his simple bed when she told him, "I actually met the Hero of Time once, when I was fifteen. He came to our fortress a few times when he was fighting Ganondorf the first time."

Taryn was immediately intrigued as she continued, "I've introduced you to Azeru. She was guarding some prisoners we'd taken when he snuck in. She fought him for a few minutes, but he was too skilled for her. She ended up tiring herself out and admitting defeat. She also gave him a token marking him as an honorary member of our people."

Taryn's eyes went wide. "So...he's considered one of you?" he asked.

Evei nodded, a grin on her face. "We do that to people who manage to impress us with their skill or strength. Though, it had been a long time since anyone managed to do that before Link came in. I think he inspired a lot of Hylians on his adventures, because now I'm seeing a lot of them in this camp that would probably be deemed worthy of the honor. Your brother, I think, could probably manage it. With a little more practice and experience, I think you could too."

Taryn's eyes had been wide before, but now they were nearly popping out of his sockets. "You actually think I'd be able to do that?" he inquired, a bit incredulous.

With a friendly clap on Taryn's shoulder, Evei answered, "Of course. You've already impressed _me_. Once you get even better, I wouldn't be surprised if Azeru, or even Nabooru herself, were to grant you an honorary place among us."

Not surprisingly, Taryn reddened slightly at the compliment. Though there was one thing he hadn't gotten from her story. "So how did _you_ actually meet the Hero?" he asked.

"It was just after he'd received his honorary membership," she explained. "With the token visible, he was permitted to openly roam the fortress. I was with some friends when he came up and asked us about the Temple of Spirit. A lot of my friends took quite a shine to him. I remember, just after he left for the Temple, one of them told me that she'd wanted to pull him to the ground and cuddle him the whole time he was asking for directions."

Taryn laughed a little at this. "Can't blame them, I guess. I know _I_ would've if I'd been one of you."

That got a good laugh out of Evei, although she desperately tried to unsee the mental image that his comment conjured up. Her arm was still around him, and she unconsciously pulled him in closer to her as she chuckled. Though Evei didn't notice this, Taryn did, and the pinkish hue returned to his face.

It was right then when Cambrion walked in. Seeing the two of them in such a state was amusing to him. Of course, he misinterpreted the reason for Evei's laugh. "I know," he observed. "His blush is kinda funny."

That comment took both Taryn and Evei by surprise. Evei looked at Taryn for confirmation that he was, in fact, blushing. Obviously, given Cambrion's observation, his face was now heavily flushed. Evei's eyes widened in amusement, especially at how even his _ears_ were pink now. Curious, she reached over with her free hand and touched the ear nearest to her.

She never expected Taryn to convulse suddenly as a massive shiver went down his spine. Funnily enough, he didn't seem to be in any sort of pain, even though he scrunched up as if being tickled. Still, she pulled her hand away, alarmed. Taryn's hands went up to his own ears, as if to shield them. Quickly, she wrapped her other arm around him, pulling him into her. "Uh...sorry about that," she said awkwardly. "Not sure what happened there."

Taryn quickly moved a hand to her shoulder. "It's fine," he gasped out. "Just felt funny." It took a few seconds, but he finally managed to relax completely.

Not long after he did, Evei finally stood up and said, "Uh, I have to report to Azeru. I'll see you soon." After that, she left the barrack, leaving Taryn and Cambrion alone.

After several seconds of silence, Cambrion cracked a grin. "Alright," he teased Taryn, "admit it, you enjoyed that."

Taryn gave him a scolding look. He was not going to admit it, but, after the initial shock of his ear being touched, much like being tickled, it _had_ felt torturously good.


	14. Chapter 14

It was nearly a week after falling from Whirlwind when Taryn finally managed to climb out of his bed and do some morning squats without so much as a twinge of pain from his hind end. Eyes somewhat wide at this discovery, he experimented with dealing the area several hammer-fisted blows. Once again, aside from the normal discomfort at such an action, there was no pain to speak of. Taryn grinned at this. It meant he could resume his normal activities; his training, getting used to the new horse, and actually socializing with the friends he had made at the Ranch.

So he exited his barrack and blinked several times as the bright morning sky greeted him. Then he closed his eyes, tilted his head back, and took several deep breaths, a contented smile gracing his visage.

It was in this state that Eryc found him as he was walking over to visit. Upon seeing Taryn standing there, enjoying the fresh air, a truly massive grin spread across his face. After covering the last few yards to his younger brother at a run, he enveloped Taryn in a tight embrace, speechless in his excitement.

Taryn was more articulate than his brother. "Good to see you, Eryc," he said, matching his brother's grin, his eyes very much open now.

Their hug lasted several more seconds before Eryc held him out at half arm's length and finally found his voice again. "You have no idea how glad I am to see you up and about," he exclaimed.

Taryn pulled Eryc back into another hug for the space of a few seconds, then asked, "So, what's new today?"

At that, Eryc remembered why he had been coming to visit in the first place. "Stennel and the other smiths made...well...something," he told Taryn. "I've never seen the like of it before. Nabooru herself is testing it right now. Come on!" And with that, he led Taryn towards one of the open areas of the encampment.

As they stopped between Stennel and Ricgard (who was still outfitted as he had been the day he'd led Kakariko's militia to the Ranch), Taryn gasped in awe. For standing in a clear area was an intimidating colossus of iron and bronze, brandishing an equally imposing two-headed battle axe. Under the gaze of perhaps twenty other Hylians, this impossible behemoth moved to a thick wooden training post with surprising speed and proceeded to assail it with powerful, yet dexterous sequences of strokes.

Taryn, like many of the other soldiers (save for the Gerudo), gaped at the creation. As the post was hewn in half with a mighty horizontal blow, Taryn gasped out, "Somebody's _wearing_ that thing?

Stennel turned his gaze to him and replied, "Yes. Commander Nabooru, in fact. It's called an Iron Knuckle suit. Suits like that are a bit of a specialty of the Gerudo. It's supposed to counter the Darknuts we saw in the raid.

Taryn was duly impressed by what he was seeing. Leaning in close to his brother, he whispered, "And _we_ won the Civil War somehow?"

A few seconds afterward, Evei came up from behind and threw an arm around Taryn. "You like it?" she asked playfully, gesturing towards where Nabooru stood, with her helm now off, conversing with the Hero of Time.

For once, she noticed that he wasn't turning red as he answered, "It's amazing."

They watched Nabooru continue to stand there, somehow not crumpling under the weight of her armor while Link and his taller lookalike, Brian, stood next to her, looking just as impressed as Taryn was and lightly chatting with her. At one point, Taryn heard Brian state, "If we can outfit ten soldiers with these, we can give those Darknuts a run for their money."

Taryn wasn't the only one to overhear that comment. Stennel also did, his face falling. Taryn looked over to hear him groan and softly say, "Not again!"

...

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Taryn asked Evei that evening, once again perched atop Whirlwind. "I mean, he bucked me off last week."

Evei shrugged. "You need a new horse, since you lost your old one," she answered, walking up to him. She could see that her explanation hadn't made him any more confident. "Just take it slow this time," she continued, placing her hand on his thigh, near his knee. "Pace yourself, and you should be fine." Ignoring the pinkish color that rushed to his face (which she'd always thought rather adorable), she took her hand off of him.

Despite his apparent embarrassment at the unexpected contact, she reasoned that it may have boosted his resolve. For he promptly set Whirlwind to a light trot. He wheeled the mount around several times, getting used to his pace, before going to a gallop. After a few minutes of just holding the reins, he began releasing them, using his knees to guide the stallion, just as Evei had taught him, while he mimed firing arrows with his hands.

Evei smiled warmly as she watched. She wasn't at all surprised that he had pulled it off. All that had been needed was to convince Taryn to actually get Whirlwind moving.

As she continued to watch, Azeru walked over to her. "I see you finally managed to get that jumpy kid riding again," she joked. Evei's smile widened, something which was not lost on her elder. "You like him, don't you?" she teased, clapping her on the shoulder.

"He doesn't know that," Evei answered, confirming the captain's suspicions.

Azeru couldn't help but grin at that. "Does he like you?" she asked.

Evei looked back at Taryn, who now had the reins in one hand and was miming sword cuts with the other. "If his blush every time I get within five feet of him is anything to go by," she replied, "then I'll wager he does. Doesn't seem like he knows that either, though."

Azeru nodded for a few seconds digesting that tidbit. Presently, she whispered to Evei, "Don't wait 'till the war's over to tell him how you feel."

Evei nodded once to acknowledge Azeru's counsel. "I don't plan to wait too much longer," she whispered back. "But I'll need someone to make sure he realizes his own feelings."

As Taryn began to slow Whirlwind down and trot towards them, Azeru leaned in towards Evei and said, "I think I know some good wingmen for you."

Evei smiled. "His brother and barrack-mate?" she asked. Azeru nodded to that.

* * *

 **Dear readers, I am once again terribly sorry for how long it has taken to write this chapter. Thanks to those who have been bearing with me. Also, to those who have favorited, followed, and/or reviewed this story, my thanks go out to you as well. I can make no promises, but I am starting to get past my writer's block and therefore hope to complete another chapter very soon. Until then, my dear readers, many thanks!**


	15. Chapter 15

The next three weeks were a busy time for Taryn and the other horse archers. The patrols Ganon was sending out, previously small in number, began to increase in size and strength. Taryn found himself regularly riding out of Lon-Lon Ranch with small troops of his comrades to intercept them. As utilitarian and un-glorious as they seemed, Taryn quite enjoyed the efficient Gerudo tactics he was learning: ride at the enemy, fire, wheel away, continue to fire, ride circles around the enemy, and never stop firing. Never once did a single one of Ganon's creatures manage to get within fifteen feet of him during that entire period. None of the patrols he helped intercept came away with any survivors, and it was seldom - so he heard - when any other Hylian patrols ever left survivors either.

Still, the word around camp was that these probes were definitely on the rise, and most of the soldiers, Evei and Eryc included, believed that a true attack would come soon. A week after regaining his legs, Taryn was assigned to help with the construction of a long wooden palisade, which was supposed to stretch from the Ranch all the way to Castle Town. Taryn had heard that this was so Hylian troops could travel between the two forts without getting attacked and cut off from each other. While he would much rather have been accompanying as many patrols as he could, every time he was assigned a shift at the construction, Taryn told himself that it served a good purpose.

He just wished he knew _what_ exactly that purpose was.

One day, at the close of the third week, he came in from a patrol, Cambrion right next to him as he led Whirlwind into the Ranch's horse ring. Eryc was leaning on the wooden railing, watching the ring's occupants, among which Taryn recognized the Hero of Time's distinctive mare, Epona. The two brothers waved a greeting to each other as Taryn entered the space, removing Whirlwind's saddle and bridle. As he exited, he, Eryc, and Cambrion, the latter of the two still carrying their saddles, walked over to one of the bonfires, which (for the moment) lay cold, as it was barely past noon. Before they had even taken their seats, Eryc asked the two younger soldiers, "How was the patrol?"

"Nothing new," Cambrion answered with a shrug. "No enemy survivors, no casualties on our side, so pretty much business as usual."

"It was mostly Lizalfos this time," Taryn added. "Those things look _sooo_ freaky!"

Eryc and Cambrion chuckled at that comment. In the midst of it, Eryc cheekily asked, "So, they're the exact opposite of the Gerudo, then?"

In spite of the minor blush that came to his face (which he'd come to regard as a fact of life by now), Taryn managed to find a smile and nod.

He didn't expect Cambrion to suddenly ask him, "So, what do you think of Evei? She was really nice to help you find a new horse."

Blindsided by the inquiry, Taryn could already feel the blood rising all the way up his dagger-like ears. It took several seconds for him to reply, "Well, yes, it _was_ terribly kind of her. And if you must know, I feel glad to call her a friend."

Eryc was already shaking his head, though. "I think Cambrion asked that the the wrong way," he told his younger brother. "What meant - I believe - is, how do you _feel_ about her?"

Taryn looked suspiciously at the knight. While Eryc had teased him before about Evei, never once had either he or Cambrion talked this seriously about his friendship with his Gerudo mentor.

Before he could open his mouth to reply, though, Cambrion put his own thought in: "Before you say anything, just know that we want you to tell us as plainly as you can. Be serious with us. And be serious with _yourself_ too."

That gave Taryn pause for several moments as he forced himself to think about the question. Eryc and Cambrion waited, partiently yet expectantly, for his answer. It was fully two minutes (Cambrion counted) before it came: "I guess if I said I _didn't_ have feelings for her, I'd be kidding myself. But can you seriously expect them to be returned? W-why are you two looking at each other like that?" This last question came as Eryc and Cambrion shared a look with each other which Taryn found difficult to place.

Of course, his question also snapped the look right off their faces. "It's nothing," Cambrion replied. "It's just that literally _everyone_ says that to themselves. Before I started dating my girlfriend back in Castle Town, _I_ repeatedly asked myself that. But y'know, you just have to take a chance sometimes. Otherwise you'll never know."

"Of course," Eryc added, "if she _does_ share your feelings, there is always the chance that _she'll_ make the first move. Gerudo have actually been known to do exactly that."

Taryn nodded soberly at that. Now that he was finally being honest with himself, he realized that sooner or later, he would feel more stress over this than he knew he could take; he would have to come out about his feelings to Evei herself.

As he pondered this, another knight came up to Eryc. "It's our shift at the palisade," he told him. Eryc rose from his seat and began to walk with his shift-mates towards the Ranch's gate.

Briefly, he turned around and told Taryn, "Think on it for a little while." Then he was gone, bound for the site of the palisade's construction.

For another hour or so, Taryn and Cambrion amused themselves watching Myna play a dice game with some other young Gerudo children. Partway through, Taryn even sat down and let the youngsters teach it to him; there was barely any learning curve to it at all (something he wished was the case for swordsmanship).

He'd long since gotten the hang of the dice game when he heard horn calls coming from the north. He and Cambrion and the children, along with the whole encampment, seemed to stop for a few seconds in surprise, before the sentries on the Ranch's battlements blew their own bronze bugles; a single long blast each, the signal everyone had learned meant that Hylian forces were under attack.

Barely fifteen seconds later, Stennel ran up to Taryn and Cambrion. "Saddle up," he told them, his voice just showing signs of tightness. "And be quick about it. The palisade's under a pretty good-sized attack."

Taryn's pulse rose rapidly upon hearing the news, and he promptly took off at a dead sprint for the horse pen. Of all the times for the palisade to come under attack, it just _had_ to be when Eryc was working on it.

For an instant, Taryn wondered how he'd suddenly gotten such terrible luck.


	16. Chapter 16

Eryc clawed his sword out of its scabbard just in time to bring a Stalfos' blade to a ringing halt. He had to take a step back at the blow, but managed to right himself and belt his opponent across the skull with the cross-pein hammer he'd been using to nail wooden stakes together. Gaining a brief respite, he gave his surroundings a cursory look.

Somehow, a large group of Ganon's creatures had managed to sneak past the regular patrols from the Ranch and were swarming around the partially-completed palisade. These weren't just the usual Bulblins and Bokoblins either; though there certainly were a horde of smaller foes, Eryc could also make out the larger forms of Stalfos, Moblins, and other far more capable monstrosities.

"Great," he hissed, to nobody in particular, "no shield, no armor, and a whole battalion coming down on us." Off to his left, another Hylian knight, Cirin, was doing battle with no less than three Moblins, in a similar situation. "What're we waiting for?" Eryc groaned to himself, before leaping to join his comrade as horn calls rang out, calling for reinforcements.

…

Queen Zelda and the Hero of Time may have been riding out among the horse archers, but Taryn - despite riding more-or-less adjacent to both of them - scarcely even noted their presence. Foremost in his mind was the knowledge that perhaps a legion of insidious beings were swarming the palisade where Eryc was working. The thought of his brother having to fight for his life - or worse, dead already - spurred him on, ignoring every other thought.

When they got to the combat zone, Taryn could see that the situation was difficult, to put it mildly. The work detail was under assault by an uncomfortably large number of armed monsters; Taryn estimated somewhere around a thousand. There were, among them, a good number of Moblins and Stalfos. The Hylian soldiers who had been working on the palisade were visibly hard-pressed to keep the creatures at bay, unarmored as they were, and some only wielding their construction tools. Taryn could already see the corpses of some unfortunate Hylians, mingled with a number of their fallen assailants.

The queen showed no hesitation as she pulled an arrow from her quiver, placed it on her bowstring, and drew it back. The arrow, blazing with light like the sun, sped from her ornate weapon with enough force to go clean through a Moblin and separate another from one of its legs.

With a speed that would have made Evei proud, Taryn instantly had his own bow drawn back. His arrow led the first volley into Ganon's ranks, which cut down a fair number of them. Immediately, the better part of the enemy contingent broke off and began to charge the horse archers. Taryn and Evei's bows sang, as did those of their comrades, as they tried to kill as many as possible before they drew too close.

Thankfully, Brian the Hero look-alike called for them to fall back. Evei turned in her saddle and snapped off a shot as she rode back, always staying next to Taryn. They rode at a trot; there was no need for an abundance of haste at the moment.

However, the company stopped when faced with a veritable legion of smaller monsters - Bulblins and Bokoblins mostly. For a second, Taryn felt terrified, but he quickly caught some nearby voices and, mere seconds later, saw a massive Goron roll at full tilt into this new group of enemies, sending their broken bodies flying back from him as the survivors focused on him.

Then he heard Brian's voice call out, "Concentrate fire on their heavy infantry!" As one, all the horse archers turned about and rained death upon the still-pursuing brutes, who, at this point, did not stand a ghost of a chance. Few survived the wall of arrows, and those only by fleeing as quickly as possible. Taryn regarded the still-raging fight at the wall with a fierce grin. Now, they could clean up the rest of Ganon's force and - he hoped against hope - keep Eryc alive.

A terrifying screech from above brought a halt to his triumphant thoughts. Taryn looked up to see a squadron of truly massive birds, their dagger-sharp talons and beaks practically gleaming. He'd seen these before, four years ago, during Ganon's reign. He remembered two things about them: that they were called Kargaroks and that they were an absolute pain to face.

The Hero, however, calmly readied an arrow and took quick aim. His shot skewered one of the Kargaroks through the neck, bringing it down in an instant. His example was followed by Taryn, Evei, and each one of the mounted archers. One descended right for Taryn, who was busy taking aim at one further off. He never noticed it until it jerked aside and fell past him, Evei's arrow buried in its chest.

If he were honest with himself, Taryn had expected more of a challenge from the Kargaroks than they had given the unit. He counted five survivors flying back to the west. At this point, the enemy assaulting the palisade were retreating. Taryn sorely hoped that Brian would give the order to pursue and cut them down, but he never did. It was then when Taryn's mind returned to his brother. He looked over the battlefield and saw that there were quite a number of Hylians lying dead in Hyrule Field.

Evei and Cambrion had both noticed his sudden change of mood, and had already dismounted. Taryn was on the ground in a flash, running towards the carnage, followed by his two closest friends (aside from his brother, of course).

There were still quite a few soldiers who survived the initial assault, though most were battered and tired, sporting various injuries as a rule. Taryn looked at each and every face as he walked urgently around the construction site. Yet none of them, he realized, were familiar.

It was then that Cambrion called his name. It was a strange cry, somewhat strangled, and with a sinking feeling, as though his heart had turned to cast iron, Taryn instantly comprehended its meaning. In a moment, he was kneeling by one of the fallen. The tall figure wore a standard issue blue and white doublet, which was torn over the heart, exposing the narrow puncture in his skin, which looked to have been caused by a spear. The hands still tightly gripped a sword and a cross pein hammer. The face, framed by long dark brown hair and stubble, gazed defiantly back at Taryn, contrasting with his own dejected countenance, as well as the more sympathetic but equally broken expressions of his two comrades.

There could be no mistaking this body. It was indeed Eryc.

For several moments, nothing happened. Taryn sat frozen on both knees, staring without belief at his brother. Cambrion made, as if to kneel by his friend, but halted himself almost immediately. Then he finally found words: "Taryn, I...I truly am sorry." Only then did the first tear drop like a weight from Taryn's right eye.

And with that, he lost it. At first it was only choked sobs as he cradled Eryc over his lap. But quickly it turned into great gasping inhalations as he let the body down again. Then, still kneeling, he suddenly hammered the grass with both fists with a roar that carried with it the adrenaline of battle, the sudden void of loss, and the deep, passionate hatred born from a desire for vengeance. As he raised his head again, he looked to the west, where the last remnants of the enemy were barely visible, and with tears streaking his face, let out a fierce war cry of, "Plague _take_ you, Ganon!" His gaze stayed on the western plateau, but he said not a word further.

Presently, Evei knelt by him and briefly examined his brother's body. "He was stabbed through the heart, with his weapons in his hand," she observed numbly. "That is the most honorable way for a warrior to meet their end."

Taryn looked back at her, the darkness of rage gone from his countenance. She had left out the fact that when Eryc's death had come, it would have been painless. But, Taryn, thought, that was something that there was no need to say.

…

That night, the soldiers lit large bonfires and celebrated what would be counted as a victory. But Taryn was not among them. Nor was he alone; all told, sixty brave Hylians had gone to the Sacred Realm that day, and many had kin or companions who knelt by their bodies, now laid in an orderly line at the ranch.

Here, too, Taryn sat, gazing at Eryc's fallen form, his breath still coming out in periodic sobs. Evei, Myna, and Cambrion knelt next to him; Evei had her arm around his shoulders in support, and even her face had a streak or two. Myna just stared mutely at the dead knight.

At length, Cambrion began to rise to his feet. "Taryn," he said, "I can't express just how sorry I am that this had to happen. If you need me for anything, I'll be at the fires. Perhaps you could join me. We did win the battle, after all."

Taryn looked up at his friend, his face bearing no reproach. His reply was two hoarse words: "Did we?"

Cambrion paused for a brief moment, a tear escaping his eyes now. Then he walked calmly towards the bonfires and celebration, leading Myna by the hand with him. And so Taryn and Evei sat there, their eyes never straying from Eryc. Presently, her free arm wrapped across his chest as she pulled him closer, allowing him to cry on her shoulder. She didn't say anything - she didn't need to; Taryn understood the gesture.

They remained like that for another half-hour as Taryn's sobs quieted to slightly trembling breaths, then to steadier ones. It was then that Evei finally spoke. "I'm sorry too," she said to him. "I know this probably doesn't make it any easier, but not everyone is lost."

Taryn lifted his head slightly, his face betraying slight curiosity. So she looked him full in the eyes and continued: "I'll be here." Confusion flickered across Taryn's eyes for a fleeting moment, so she emphasized her words by leaning in, planting her lips gently against his left cheek, after which she let his head fall back on her shoulder. In response, his own arms, which had been at his side the whole time, returned her embrace.

It took another hour for Taryn to truly realize the meaning behind what Evei had said and done. When he did, he didn't hesitate to return the kiss he'd been dealt, planting one of his own on her shoulder. _How ironic_ , he thought briefly, _that this would happen now of all times._

Somehow, he eventually fell asleep in that position. Evei noted it, realizing that it was high time for them both to get some rest. She managed to carry him all the way to his barrack without waking him, before heading to her own. After the exertion of that day, it didn't take long for sleep to overtake her as well.


	17. Chapter 17

The crowing of a cucco caused Evei to turn over where she lay under her canvas shelter. She certainly did not have much energy after everything that had happened the day before. The battle had significantly drained her; staying with Taryn that night while he mourned his brother had eaten at her spirit. She felt sad for Eryc, and Taryn as well, for that matter. Still, it was a stroke of fortune that no one else she'd known had perished at the palisade.

She caught herself in the midst of these thoughts. _Why in the Dark World am I thinking like that, when Eryc actually was killed?_ she asked herself. Then, like a sword's pommel to the head, something else hit her: the time, that night, when she had kissed Taryn on the cheek. Sure, he'd eventually returned it, but now that she thought about it, the whole thing began to make her feel guilty. After all, Eryc had been killed hours before, and Taryn had just got finished crying over him where he lay in the Ranch, when she'd done the deed, telling him she would be there for him. _What kind of person am I,_ she thought, _to take advantage of someone's death to try and get together with their brother?_

As she crawled out of the shelter and began walking towards the middle of the Ranch, she continually re-played the moment in her head. She was certain she would have to apologize to him, and as it was, he was sure to still be depressed over Eryc's demise. She had a sneaking suspicion that that would complicate things.

On her way, she passed the building that was functioning as the army's headquarters. Even at this time, she could hear voices coming from inside, Azeru's being one of them. What they were saying, she could not guess. Nor did she feel like it at the moment.

It struck her as an odd coincidence, given her thoughts, when she saw Taryn sitting by one of the now-cold bonfires. His back was to her, so she couldn't see his face, but she didn't hear him sobbing like he had been the night before. So she approached and sat beside him.

Taryn turned his head to see who had sat next to him. Upon seeing Evei there, he gave her a small, but genuine smile, scooting in closer and putting an arm around her shoulders.

Neither of them said anything for several moments. But after the period of silence, Evei decided to speak up. "Taryn, about last night," she began, somewhat awkwardly, pausing, seeing if he would figure out what she was talking about.

Taryn's smile returned; he knew where this was going. "I guess I'm not the only one who's been thinking about that," he said, a little nervous.

Evei grimaced. Taryn wasn't crying, he was even smiling slightly, but there still had to be some pain left over from the previous day. Still, she took a deep breath. "I realized I might've been...you know...taking advantage of Eryc being...well…"

"Dead?" Taryn guessed, with nowhere near the level of depression or irritation in his voice that Evei had guessed he would have.

Evei, on her part, nodded. "Look," she said, "I'm sorry I took advantage of his death like that."

Taryn raised an eyebrow. "It would've happened eventually. It's what Eryc would've wanted." Evei looked a bit confused by that. "No, really," Taryn continued, "I think he was trying to get us together, maybe even since the first week of training. Actually, the morning of the fight, he and Cambrion asked me how I felt about you. He told me to be honest with him. And myself. I guess it took that for me to realize…" he paused, suddenly feeling quite silly for what he was about to admit.

"Realize what?" Evei asked, forgetting her perceived guilt.

Taryn realized that he could no longer keep his feelings between himself and Cambrion. So he took a breath, before finally confessing, "Truth is, I really, _really_ like you. It took a bit for me to feel like that, and longer for me to actually figure it out, but yeah." Evei started to laugh softly, and Taryn deflated a bit. "I know," he said. "I'm pathetic, aren't I?"

Evei laughed a little harder. "No," she replied, "you're not pathetic at all. I've liked you for a while, too. Why else do you think I would've done what I did last night?"

Now it was Taryn's turn to be confused. "Because...you thought it would take my mind off of Eryc?" he guessed, hesitantly.

Evei had gotten over her laughter by now, so her answer was made with a warm smile instead: "Well, only partially. That reminds me, you seem a lot less depressed than you were last night."

Taryn grimaced a bit. "Don't get me wrong, I still miss him," he explained, "but I doubt he'd want me to just stop functioning. He'd want me to stay strong, like any other warrior would."

That reply suitably impressed Evei. "You seem to be doing well at that," she said. "You're showing a type of strength I've only ever seen in my own people. I've said it before, but I see Azeru or Nabooru making you an honorary part of the Gerudo." She felt warmed by his flattered smile, before she noticed the subtle pink color beginning to manifest on his face. She couldn't help but grin as she added, "You'd certainly make a fine partner for one of us."

That certainly got the blood rushing to Taryn's face, and Evei's grin widened as even his sharp ears began to turn red. She had no idea how he managed it, but he looked at her, more than a little sheepishly, and - in an extremely nervous voice - said, "I...I hope it's you. I can't really imagine myself with anyone else."

Evei felt the amount of commitment behind that admission, and it gladdened her. She beamed warmly at the young Hylian - who, she just then realized, was a few inches shorter than her - and replied, "Nor can I." She could not even begin to describe the look that washed over his countenance upon hearing this; it looked like joy, with overwhelming relief and adoration mixed in. Without warning, Taryn threw both of his arms around her, a gesture which she happily returned. Knowing the moment for what it was, Evei brought her face slowly towards his as her arms wrapped around him further, bringing him in closer. She was pleasantly surprised when Taryn - shy, selfless, loyal Taryn - closed his eyes and brought his lips to hers.

Neither of them had ever kissed anyone in this manner before. But silently, they both agreed it felt amazing.

* * *

 **Now that this chapter is finished, I would like to offer my sincerest apology for the length of time it has taken to write this chapter. Motivation and chapter ideas are difficult to come by for a nineteen-year-old college student. I wish I had a better excuse than that, but it is the best I have. That said, this chapter should get me over my writer's block (or so I hope). So expect more regular updates to this tale in the near future. With that done, there are three more things I feel the need to say. The first is, of course, that the _Legend of Zelda_ games that this story is based on are the brainchild of Shigeru Miyamoto, Eiji Aonuma, and all the fine fellows at Nintendo. The second is that, as I stated before the first chapter, this is a companion story to "The Hero's Hero." If you are reading this and have not read the first story, I highly recommend that you do so. Lastly, I would appreciate - nay, I am desperate for - any reviews that you, my dear readers can send me; they form a crucial part of my writing process. Once again, thank you so much for taking a look at this story. See you on the next update!**


	18. Chapter 18

Taryn and Evei were surprised later that day when couriers began riding out from the Ranch with orders to begin an evacuation of the whole country. In addition, the entire garrison of the Ranch was to meet up with the Castle Town garrison and march for Kakariko in three days' time. Both of them found themselves frequently riding out in that period to cover the flow of civilians from any attacks from the west.

Taryn half expected another sizeable force to issue forth from the Gerudo Valley to attack the fleeing Hylians. But in all of his patrols, he only encountered one enemy force, and an incredibly small one at that - perhaps a patrol to see what the Queen might be planning. Though they were not commanders, Taryn and Evei both felt (and told each other so) as though they were being toyed with by the King of Evil. But neither one complained about the lack of another committed attack.

The day before the garrison was scheduled to leave, Evei came up Taryn while he was performing sword drills on a wooden post. "How long have you been at that?" she asked him.

Taryn stopped the sequence of attacks he was practicing and turned to her, replying, "Maybe fifteen minutes. What's up?"

"I want to introduce you to some people," Evei told him, her arm going around his shoulders. Taryn, confused, dropped the wooden practice weapon he had been holding and walked with her, his hand reaching up to hold the one she'd draped over him.

As they got to the horse pen, Taryn was somewhat surprised to find a small group of Gerudo warriors awaiting them. He recognized Azeru and Asya, having been introduced to them before, but there were three others as well, all leaning casually on the wooden rail of the pen. As the two of them approached this gathering, Evei called out, "Hey everyone!"

The other Gerudo waved back at her as they finally stopped right in front of them. "Let me guess," Asya asked Evei, "you two are _finally_ together?"

Taryn face reddened heavily at the question. He looked over at his girlfriend, who had a similar blush - albeit a smaller one - on her own face. She nodded, her arm moving down from his shoulder to wrap around his waist. "That we are," she answered, a wide smile gracing her features.

"About time," Azeru commented, nodding her head approvingly. Asya was also nodding, and the other three Gerudo were looking at the couple, as if sizing them up.

"Well," Evei said, "I guess I'd better introduce you all. Taryn, these two are close friends of mine." She indicated two of the three unknown Gerudo, both looking between eighteen and twenty years old.

"It's good to meet you," said the older of the two. "I'm Nysa." Nysa shook Taryn's hand, one corner of her mouth raised in a sly grin.

The younger one cheerfully raised her hand to wave to Taryn. "I'm Kiru," she introduced. "I'm glad to finally get to know you!"

Taryn returned her wave, smiling shyly, before the eldest stirred slightly. "So you're the guy I've been hearing so much about," she quipped. "My name is Nabooru. Azeru and I are leading the tribe right now."

Taryn's eyes widened in awe as he recognized the famous Sage of Spirit. Instinctively, he bowed at the hip, hearing a deep, hearty laugh as Nabooru told him, "Hey, don't worry about formalities. We're all comrades here." That prompted Taryn to look back up, seeing the easygoing smile the Sage was cracking.

That helped with his nervousness, but didn't completely banish it from his mind. At least, he was able to speak: "I...I guess I'm here to seek your blessing to court your...ahh…" He looked down awkwardly, uncertain how to classify the relationship between Evei and Nabooru.

Evei rolled her eyes affectionately at Taryn, and Asya and Kiru both snorted with laughter. Nabooru smirked. "We all call each other sisters," she explained. "And you don't need to worry about asking for my blessing."

Azeru nodded at that. "Evei's a big girl," she added. "She can decide things for herself. She just wanted to introduce you to us."

Nysa grinned at that. "She told us a lot about you, and we finally got curious, that's all."

That brought a grin to Taryn's face as he cast off all his nervousness. Evei, her arm still around his waist, smiled at him and pulled him closer. The other five Gerudo had to admit, the sight was rather adorable.

…

The next day was, of course, moving day. The entire Ranch bustled with activity as the garrison began to mobilize. The few civilians who resided at the Ranch would be departing for neighboring countries - one of the large groups, Taryn heard, would be guided by the Sage of Forest through the Lost Woods for shelter. Among those leaving would be all of the young Gerudo who were not old enough to fight.

Evei, Taryn, and Cambrion enjoyed a breakfast of bacon, roasted potatoes, and toasted loaves of bread, joined by Myna, who, being only seven years old, was supposed to leave with the other Gerudo children. Myna was sitting in Cambrion's lap as they all ate when she absently stated, "I don't wanna go away."

All three teenagers looked at her. Cambrion gently wrapped an arm around her small frame as Evei replied, "You know you have to, dear. It won't be safe where we're going."

Taryn, who had come to regard the girl as a younger sister, noticed her pouting, and tried to reassure her, "Don't worry. We'll find you a family to tag along with that has other kids you can play with."

In reply, Myna lifted her eyes up to Taryn, Cambrion, and Evei. "But _you're_ my family," she said, her little voice beginning to waver.

Evei was about to try and comfort Myna some more when Cambrion gently said, "Alright. But if we have to fight once we get to the town, you have to promise you'll find someplace to hide."

Taryn looked at his comrade wide-eyed. "We can't, man," he said, "She won't be safe with us."

Cambrion looked directly at him as he made his answer: "You heard what she said. We're the only family she has left. This war's already taken one mother from her. Can you imagine what it would do to her if she came back and found out it's taken us from her as well? We may still die, but let's at least let her spend as much time as she can with us before it happens."

That quieted both of the other soldiers for a few seconds, before Evei finally said, "Fine. But I don't enjoy the thought of bringing her into harm's way."

It was then when Myna cut back in, a bit more cheerfully, "Nothing will hurt me, 'cause nothing will hurt you. You'll kick the monsters' butts!"

The simplicity and innocence of that comment brought them all to laughter. At length, Evei caved in. "Alright," she said. "We'll all be a family. Forever." She pulled the boys - and, by extension, Myna - in for a group hug, with the child squeezed in between the three others. Cambrion gently kissed the young one's forehead; Evei kissed Taryn's cheek. An hour later, Myna got her wish as Taryn hoisted her up to join him in Whirlwind's saddle.

The march to Kakariko took only a few hours, with a brief stop to meet up with the soldiers from Castle Town. As predicted, there was a great deal of confusion amongst the newcomers - and some rather vocal protestations - upon seeing the Gerudo marching as part of the army. But despite this, the rest of the journey went smoothly. The entire way there, Taryn was regaling Cambrion, Evei, and Myna with stories of his life in the terraced village. He felt nervous about returning home after two life-changing months, and especially after what had happened to Eryc.

Kakariko was emptier than he remembered it, with the population having fled. After getting down from his mount, he had rushed into his family's shop to find it deserted. With Eryc dead, and his parents having fled, the sight of the empty establishment brought an emptiness to Taryn's heart as he realized for the first time that this war had irreversibly obliterated his old life.

He was still feeling that emptiness as he helped move equipment into the town, as he received his rooming assignment - with Cambrion and Myna, of course - and as he sat down to eat dinner with his friends. Evei noticed him staring into the bonfire they sat at, knowing full well what was troubling him. Cambrion and Myna watched curiously as she gently elbowed Kiru, who was seated next to her, and whispered something in her ear. After nodding once, she leaned forward, looking at Taryn and calling him by name.

Taryn heard his name being called and looked over to see Kiru looking at him. He wondered briefly what she could want before she asked, somewhat apologetically, "Would you be okay trading room assignments with me? I'm in one of the shelters, and it's kinda been a while since I've slept in an actual bed."

Taryn shrugged. "Sure," he replied. "Who were you rooming with?"

Evei smiled gently at him. "Me," she answered. "You seem sad. Is everything alright?"

Taryn grimaced. "It's just so... _empty_ here," he explained simply, knowing he wouldn't have to elaborate.

Evei, her suspicions confirmed, scooted closer to her boyfriend and pulled him into an embrace with one arm, bringing his head to rest on her shoulder with the other. They sat there silently for another few hours as a few tears noiselessly escaped Taryn's eyes.

At length, she rose to her feet. "Come on," she said gently, offering her hand to Taryn, "let's go." Taryn took her hand, and she led him to the canvas shelter she had set up on the lowest terrace of the town. As they crawled into it, Evei pulled him in, kissing him briefly on the mouth as he wrapped his own arms around her. In each other's arms, they drifted to sleep more quickly than either of them ever had before.


End file.
